Life of Pets
by Inkuma the Bewear
Summary: [One-shot Collection] Newest Story: Feliz Navi-Dog!: Accidentally destroying Lily's teddy bear, Charles tries anything he can to fix that problem; Meanwhile, Cliff, Geo, and Walt decide to cheer her up by making her first Christmas the best she's ever had.
1. Introduction

**A/N:** **This project is a little series of one-shots that's going to come with frequent updates, focusing primarily on the pets' perspective, and I'm a little bit psyched for it. I'm currently open to any suggestions or ideas you may have for this project, as long as the synopsis you have is _family-friendly_. I'll be releasing at least a single one-shot story per week or two.**

 **It might not be up to everyone's taste but hey, I'm willing to take a challenge!**

* * *

In the Loud House, inside the interior of the living room on a sunny day, Charles popped up to perform his introduction, as he wagged his little tail.

"Hey you! The name's Charles! I'm the family dog in this household, along with the cat, bird, and the hamster."

The three pets waved along as they spoke in a good, positive tone.

"For those out there wonderin' how we're able to talk, let's just say... it's a lil' experiment gone pretty awkward from the time bein'."

The energetic bulldog pulled up a good, quality photo of the Loud kids along with the parents, dragging his paw all over the image.

"We've got a baker's dozen of family members that adore all of us no matter what we do!" The bulldog said with a smile.

* * *

 _Montage_

Down in the living room, Lori is on the couch, crying her eyes out as Walt flew over to comfort her as Charles voiced over the actions. "We're always there for 'em when they're down,"

Outside the house, Charles dug a hole along with Lana on all fours, digging the way a dog does as Cliff sits in front of them, watching the two of them work together. "...in need of our assistance,"

In Lisa and Lily's room, Lily was there, rolling on the soft carpet floor with Geo rolling in his transparent ball. "...or someone to play with to show off our loyalty."

 _End Montage_

* * *

"But despite the four of us bein' animals, if we could at least say somethin' to our family without tryin' to spook 'em..."

The bulldog dragged Cliff, Geo and Walt close together as they all hugged it out. "...We'd say that we love 'em all deep down in our hearts and we'd stick with them all the way no matter the challenges our lives have to throw at us."

The four animals zipped to the family couch, first the dog, the cat, and finally, the hamster with the yellow canary on top in sequential order as they all jumped on top of the cushions, sitting down on the soft yet comfortable surface. "Now that's outta the way, have a look at what our lives are like as their average everyday pets!"

Cliff whipped out a remote and switched the television on to a show they all enjoy in their spare time: _Stopped by the Paw_.


	2. Make Roomba Four

_Story 1: Make Roomba Four_

* * *

 ** _Friday, 1:00 pm_**

"Doesn't this thing look smashing, honey?"

"Yeah, I suppose."

In the Loud House, inside the living room interior, Lynn Sr. was real excited, discussing about an mid-expensive roomba that they have recently bought online. The design was sleek, shiny, and with an even chrome polish to it. The man of the house extracted the item from the styrofoam opening inside the box, setting it down on the slightly dirty carpet floors of the living room as Rita observed what her husband was doing.

"This was so worth saving up five hundred dollars!" Lynn Sr. confidently stated.

"Five hundred dollars?!" Rita said in surprise.

"Yeah! It'll be nice little surprise for the kids when they come back home from school! And it's controllable by smart phone! You get the instructions on how to set it up from the box while I download the app."

"I can't believe you were willing enough to spend five hundred dollars on a miniature vacuum cleaner like this one. I'm sure you could've gotten one that's cheaper than that."

Rita grabbed the paper instructions from inside the box, unfolding it open to read the contents it had before Lynn Sr. whipped out his phone, tapping the screen with his thumb to search for the application.

"Make roomba for the next robotic vacuum cleaner for your home! In just two simple steps, you can watch your miniature cleaner clean up those filthy floors of yours in a jiffy! When it's about to make contact with the concrete corners or the walls, it'll know when to turn, and avoid small oncoming collisions. It'll clean, marble, carpet and even wood floors, all under furniture. And, with no need for batteries, this machine comes with it's own charging station. When it's through cleaning, it heads straight for the charging station, waiting for you to set up it's next job."

She looked back into the box, wondering if there's anything else but styrofoam inside before looking directly at her husband, still tapping up a storm on his phone.

"Step one, hold down the power button, which is located on one side of the machine for three to five consecutive seconds."

She bent down on her knees, looking on the sides of the small vacuum cleaner, before looking on the other side, finding the button to operate the machine as she pushed it in for five seconds.

The machine turned on successfully, flashing a clear white color from the top before the wife returned to reading the instructions.

"Have you found that application yet?" she asked.

"Not yet, it's a bit more complicated than I thought..." Lynn Sr. replied.

Rita grabbed his phone as she handed him the instruction sheet for the machine.

"Oh, here. I'll find the app, you finish setting up that thing."

Lynn Sr. looked at the instructions, figuring out where she left off at until he realized that there was only two steps.

"There's only two steps? I thought it would've been more complicated than that."

"I thought the same thing too, but apparently we were wrong."

Lynn Sr. let out a small inaudible sigh.

"Well anyway, Step two says to study all of its functioning buttons and to see what they do."

He constantly switched his own sight to the top of the roomba where the buttons were located back to the instructions on the paper, understanding how the buttons work and what activates it to set it into full motion.

"The first button, triggers the standard cleaning mode, the middle two triggers which way the roomba should go, and the one on the right just makes it stop completely."

Rita looked on top of the machine, getting the functions of the buttons embedded into her memory.

"I can't believe it all looks so simple!"

"Technology sure has their perks nowadays."

"Anyway, I found that app."

"Oh, you did?"

"Yeah, I even booted it up for you."

She handed his phone back. Lynn Sr. looked at it, very satisfied with what it looked like.

"It's just like a remote control! Now let's see here..."

He touched the start button, activating the full motion effect for the roomba vacuum cleaner as it moved in a clean straight line.

"Wow! That's awesome."

"It sure is, isn't it?"

The vacuum cleaner noticed a few crumbs on the filthy carpet floor and motioned over on top of them, sucking them up in the process, leaving Lynn Sr. and Rita impressed.

"I can't believe we didn't think to invest in one of these babies years ago." she said.

"This is definitely worth saving up five hundred buckarinos." he said as Rita looked to his husband with redundant lips.

"Didn't you already say that?"

"I did and I'm proud of it. Boom!"

 _Five Minutes Later_

The parents of the household were left satisfied with jaws open, as the two watched the miniature vacuum cleaner clean up the last speck of the floor, returning back to them slowly at their feet. The living room was completely clean, with no spots visible from every square inch of the living room interior.

"Whoa."

"It really looks like nobody's messed up our living room now!"

Lynn Sr. set his phone down on the couch before he lifted the roomba off the living room floor, placing it on it's charging station.

"Now that the living room's clean, let's say we head on out and get some massages, or pick up some groceries?"

Rita headed for the front door, opening it halfway and said "I'll be waiting in Vanzilla!" as she exited the house.

The man of the house went into his room for some seconds, grabbing his keys before emerging back out, accidentally leaving his cell phone behind before immediately heading to the halfway open front door and exited the house, closing the door from behind.

Vroom.

Vanzilla started up and omitted screeching sounds, leaving the house as the sounds started fading out as he drove the vehicle far, far away for a while.

* * *

It was completely quiet in the house, with no Loud family member present inside. There was nothing but dead silence that seemed like minutes, up until Cliff the cat emerged from the upstairs hallway, making his way downstairs to the very clean carpet floor of the living room interior. He looked around the place, looking for something to play with instead of just hopping on the surface of the living room couch, watching those boring reruns of classic shows.

"Wonder what I did with that ball of yarn I had this mornin'..?"

The black cat had shed on the carpet floor as he walked around the interior, before he came across the roomba, resting motionless on it's charging port. He had his eyes locked on the machine, slowly walking towards it to see if it would do something. A few seconds had passed with nothing happening before he tilted his head, lifting up one of his furry paws, poking at the machine a couple of times before his innocent mind thought it was a nice little stool for him to sit on as he boarded on top of it, soon accidentally activating the miniature vacuum cleaner with his right paw.

"Huh?" the cat said as he softly jumped before the machine started moving around in the process.

"Whoa! This is... pretty astonishin'!"

He smiled as he took a straight slow stroll across the living room on top of the roomba, meowing with absolute joy for several seconds before moving his long tail. Charles walked in from the dining room, with Geo on top of his head outside his ball before the two were real amazed with what they both observed in the living room, Cliff riding a moving vacuum cleaner.

The smiling cat looked at them, and said "Oh, hey guys!"

Charles walked over to Cliff, questioning about what he's doing.

"Um... where did that come from, cat?"

"I have no idea!" Cliff answered. "I just found this moving cushion lyin' around here in this here living room and, _boy_ this thing is pretty fun to play with!"

"And it cleans carpets too? Nice."

"Huh?" The cat said as he looked from behind. "Wow. At least it's not like that scary vacuum cleaner that ate me that one time..."

* * *

Cliff's little flashback consisted of a wired rusty old vacuum cleaner chasing him all around the upstairs hallway. The chase lasted for a good amount of seconds before the vacuum cleaner somehow managed to catch Cliff's tail, prompting him to look back at it with widened eyes as he meowed in absolute fear before it sucked him up whole inside, shutting itself off soon after.

The cat later meowed in a sad tone in mere defeat.

* * *

"Hoo boy, that was one heck of a nightmare. Gettin' me all dusty and whatnot."

"Ooh, can I ride?" Geo asked.

"No way! I just found this just a minute prior and I'm gonna get this full experience of this thing!"

Charles rolled his eyes before he pushed the cat off the roomba, placing Geo on top of the moving vacuum cleaner.

"Hey! The heck was that for, dog?"

"You can't have that thing all to yerself now," Charles stated. "If anythin', we're gonna experience this machine together!"

"Oh, alright then," Cliff sadly responded with droopy ears, feeling bad as he looked down on the carpet floor. "What were you guys doin' earlier before you came in here by the way?"

"Me and the Ham were doin' some pretty interestin' things out in the backyard. Especially the part where we were diggin' for somethin'."

"It's a pretty cool item if you ask me!" Geo added.

"Eh, I wouldn't say 'cool' in my opinion."

"It was another bone, I bet." Cliff guessed.

Charles hesitated for a second, staring blankly into the eyes of the black cat. "Um, yeah..."

Walt flew his way into the living room, wondering what the commotion was all about.

"Hey! What goes on?" he asked before Cliff turned his attention to the canary.

"Hey bird, check this out!" he said as he pointed to the moving roomba that Geo was sitting on top of as he waved to him.

"What's that supposed to be?" the canary questioned.

"It's a mobile cushion that you sit on!" the cat answered with a smile.

Walt started to get a bit concerned. "Huh? Are you sure that it's safe to sit on one of those things?"

"Oh yeah! I mean it's not like it's gonna collapse into several pieces underneath ya."

Cliff lowered his voice as the canary flew down next to him. "Unless you're the 'K' and the 'nine', if ya know what I mean."

Charles looked to the two pets in a rather confused state.

"What are you two talkin' about?" he asked.

"It's nothin', dog!" Cliff answered without any noticeable hesitation as Walt slightly grinned at him. "Nothing at all!"

Charles slightly squinted his eyes, thinking something suspicious is afoot with the two as they slowly started sweating.

The roomba headed straight towards a concrete wall, with no possible way for the hamster to change its direction. Geo gulped as the roomba approached closer and closer to the wall before calling out to the three communicating animals.

"Guys! Help!"

Charles, Cliff and Walt all turned their attention to the roomba heading for the wall as Geo still anxiously alarmed the three for some assistance. The dog and the canary looked to the cat, figuring that he knew something about the machine to rectify Geo's situation.

"Ham, you'll be fine! It only goes like less than five miles an hour!" Cliff said loud enough so the hamster can understand.

"Are you sure?" Geo quickly asked as he covered his eyes, quivering with a small bit of anxiety before the roomba finally reached the concrete wall in front of it.

The machine stopped for a small second before it oscillated to the right, moving in a clean straight line. The hamster opened his little eyes to notice that there was no head on collision with the wall as he said "Oh." before he sighed in relief.

"See? I told ya you'd be fine!" Cliff reassured.

"I'm getting curious now... I wanna try!" Walt eagerly said as he zipped over to the moving roomba, landing right next to the hamster as he smiled halfway across the living room. Charles looked around the interior for some second before his perspective became fixated on the dining room table, where there were scraps of breakfast food still on the surface of the table from this morning. The dog thought to himself for a moment before a bright little idea hatched inside his canine mind.

"Hey! What if we put that thing to the test?"

Cliff looked at the dog blankly before he asked him a question.

"Test it how?"

The canary and the hamster added "Yeah?"

"Well, I noticed that this so called 'cushion' can clean up even the smallest of messes from this room alone. So I say, let's have a little fun with it!"

Cliff, Walt and Geo looked blankly at the dog, hesitating on their answer for a couple of seconds before they all unanimously agreed with his little idea.

"Alright then." The cat answered.

"Why not?" The canary added.

 _Two Minutes Later_

Charles walked all around the dinner table, sweeping off some of the crumbs of food from the cloth surface as they landed on the carpet floor without omitting a single noticeable sound as Cliff, Walt and Geo watched with the stationary roomba resting in front of them before he proceeded to plop down on his rump.

"Okay, ready?" The dog said.

"Whenever you're ready, dog." Cliff responded as he walked beside the roomba, lifting his paw up over the buttons as he set himself to activate the machine.

"Let's roll!"

The cat pushed one of the corresponding buttons on top of the roomba, activating it as he and the other three animals sat there, watching the lightweight machine takes it's sweet time maneuvering around the table as it sucked up the small speck of crumbs buried among the carpet floors. Walt and Geo reacted without uttering a single sound, with raised eyebrows all around for a brief period of time before they smiled with complete satisfaction.

"Wow, I don't know what to say." Walt said. "That's a pretty efficient machine!"

"You're telling me!" Geo said to the canary as he giggled. The moving roomba arrived right back at the same exact position it was when it recently booted up, directly in front of the three spectating pets.

"Still better than that rusty ol' vacuum cleaner." The cat uttered.

"Agreed." Walt and Geo simultaneously added before the canary started flapping his wings, staying afloat as he dropped a feather or two on the carpet floors of the dining room. The machine oscillated to the direction of the canary's yellow feathers before motioning over them, sucking them up in almost an instant as the pets watched.

 _Two Hours Later_

Cliff slowly started to get bored from watching the roomba clean up the now sparkling carpet floors, now making it's way back around the table, approaching the black cat.

"Alright, this is startin' ta get a little borin' now," Cliff said. "I'm gonna ride on it again, cause it's fun."

The cat mounted on top of the moving roomba in front of him before Charles got slightly mad at him, jumping down from the dining table onto the carpet.

"Hey! I never got to ride that thing. If anythin', it's my turn!"

The dog walked over to the machine, pushing Cliff over to the side as he also mounted on top of it.

"Hey, watch it dog!" The cat madly stated as he shoved the dog back. Geo started to grow more concerned as the two animals riding the roomba started verbally fighting each other.

"Stop pushin' me, cat!"

"You stop pushin' me, dog!"

"You ain't gonna hog this thing all day!"

"But I was the one who found it first!"

Charles gave the cat one more push that knocked him off the roomba, before the slightly hostile feral feline tackled the dog off the machine, pinning him down on the clean carpets as Geo grabbed their attention, temporarily breaking up the fight.

"Guys, stop it!" The hamster said, growing more concerned by the second while Walt flew down to his side, glaring the cat and the dog down.

"There's no need to fight over this! Violence is never an answer that you guys need to select from!"

The dog and the cat hesitated, looking deep into the hamster's sad soulful eyes before they both looked towards each other in shame.

"Cat, maybe you should be a little less selfish about the thingy-majig, and Dog, you should be a little less physical about handling a situation."

Cliff got off of the dog as he sat down, extending his paw out to gladly help him up. Charles extended his and grabbed on, getting back up on all of his fours before the hamster stopped his soulful eyes and smiled.

"Now, isn't that better?"

"You bet." The cat answered.

"Uh-huh." The dog answered.

They both shook paws as their way of apologizing before they stated it shortly afterwards.

"Sorry." They said in unison.

The two animals continued making up as the canary uttered "Seriously, all this over riding on a small vacuum cleaner?"

"We're not perfect little angels y'know." Cliff replied.

"We're just animals, born to make mistakes and learn from 'em." Charles added.

"You've got a point there." Geo added as well. "Now come on, let's all take a ride down on this thing!"

"I call shotgun!" Charles said as the four pets mounted on top of the stationary roomba simultaneously. It started moving in straight lines under the dining table, speed slightly decreased due to the combined weight of the pets before it halted, almost making contact with the concrete wall in front of them as it oscillated at an angle of a hundred and eighty degrees, moving in another straight line. The four pets had a good time riding the machine as they made some noise with a bit of flair added to the mix, up until the sound of the doorknob turning emerged from the living room, prompting Charles, Walt and Geo to dismount from the machine and head for the front door.

The three stayed put in front of the door, watching the door creak open to reveal Lincoln and his sisters, returning home from school along with the parents of the household coming in from behind the ten kids, carrying few bags of groceries. The siblings chattered away as they showered the three with love as well as petting their heads before Rita and Lynn Sr. asked their kids for a bit of assistance.

"Hey kids, mind if we could get some help here?" The man of the house asked.

"I've got this." Lori said, grabbing a bag from the mother.

"Same here dude!" Luna said, grabbing hold of a couple bags from the father.

"Hey, where's Cliff?" Lynn asked as she looked to her left and right for the black cat. The sound of the roomba omitted from the dining room as it made its way into the living room where everyone else is at, playing with the other animals with the cat still riding on top of it. Lynn Sr. noticed him, understandably mad about it to the point where he could barely scold the misled animal as the siblings were dumbfounded about the new roomba the father figure had purchased, observing in awe with cuteness overloading while the three animals sat back and watched.

"Cliff, bad... cat?"

He stared blankly at the situation before he almost instantly inverted his frown, smirking at the cat.

"I do have to admit, that _is_ pretty cute!"

"Agreed." Rita said.

Cliff looked up to them before he turned his attention to the audience, gladly meowing with a smile.

* * *

 **~End~**


	3. Loo The Coup

_Story 2: Loo The Coup_

* * *

 _12:30 pm_

It was a interesting Monday afternoon down in Royal Woods, Michigan. Charles, Cliff, Geo and Walt were all sitting on the surface of the living room couch, watching a program the four animals have never seen or heard of before in their lives: a rather silly, yet practical cute little show that looks like it's meant for children when really it's just a cartoon with a family-friendly demographic, but the yellow canary himself being grumpy as usual asks the black cat a question, regarding the show that's currently being broadcasted on the television screen.

"Ugh. Isn't there anything else we could watch besides this... sweet garbage?" Walt asked.

"I'm pretty sure it's not that bad of a show," Cliff answered. "Ya never know if you don't give it a chance."

"Cat's right, bird," Charles added. "I've never heard of this, but I'm willin' to give this lil' show a chance!"

Geo smiled for a short time as he looked up to the canary on top of his transparent ball.

"I got no knowledge whatsoever of this new program but at least it's interesting enough to spark some curiosity." he positively said.

The four animals returned their attention to the television screen, watching a scene where a pale mother bunny is going to escape a second story house window to meet up with her future fiance without getting caught by her sleeping father downstairs using the help of her kids, a blue cat, an orange fish and her youngest daughter, tying bed sheets and clothes together to create a sturdy rope to maneuver down the ground in the gloomy night outdoors, which was unfortunately too short for her to climb down safely. The kids look anxious on what to do next as they try to draw out some ideas as quietly as they can without drawing them any noticeable attention.

 _"The rope's still too short, ma!"_

 _"Man, what are we gonna do now?"_

 _"Is there anything else we can use to extend this thing?"_

 _The mother sighed as she can't believe she's gonna have to do something in front of her kids._

 _"Kids, y'all might wanna shield your irises."_

The four pets quickly started widening their eyes as the dog quickly told the cat a command as Walt and Geo softly gasped along with Charles covering his eyes with his paws.

"Hurry cat! Flick through somethin' else!"

"Okay!"

Cliff reacted as quickly as he could, changing the channel as the television shows a small snippit of a dialogue from another show.

 _"G'night everybody!"_

Cliff flicked the channel again. This time, he got to a title sequence for The Hot Bench before the real show started announcing a preview of the program's segment.

 _"It appears that her ex-husband has been accused of damaging property, and she's planning to sue him for a total of five thousand dollars."_

The pets all looked at one another, still temporarily traumatized from the show they've all never seen before.

"Jeez! How can they do that on a show that's aimed towards a young audience?" Cliff said.

"What the heck's wrong with people nowadays, sneaking in stuff like that?" Walt added.

Geo's stomach rumbled, slowly growing painful by the second. He squeezed his eyes shut, surviving through the rumbling madness before it temporarily stopped. Not only that, he had to go tinkle more. He immediately started to rapidly tiptoe as if he couldn't wait any longer to hold it in.

"Guys, I think I might need to hit the loo." he said, rolling off of the couch as Walt flew upwards from his ball, onto the carpet floors as he made his way to the stairs. Charles took a glance to the little hamster approaching the stairs before grabbing his attention, dismounting from the couch as well, following him from behind.

"Hang on there Ham," he said to Geo. "Lemme help getcha up there."

Cliff and Walt, now landing on the edge of the couch, returned their wide open oculars to the television screen in front of them, watching the lawsuit situation go down.

 _"It's my stuff that I paid for with my own money! If I buy it, then I have to right to do as I please with them!"_

Angry chatter kept omitting from the TV before Cliff thought of something, regarding Geo.

"Bird, I just had this thought..."

"What?"

"You ever wondered why the Ham has to go upstairs to do his bidness all the time?"

"Why do you think I should care where he goes to use the bathroom..?"

"Cause that's where the bathroom is. The downside to that is that there's only one bathroom in this house, and it had to be up on the second story."

"Eh, all houses are different from others. And sometimes you gotta live with what you got and make the best of it."

"Well yeah but..."

The cat hesitated as Walt suspiciously stared directly at him, one eyebrow raised.

"...but what?"

"It's not like we're not housebroken-"

"To be honest with you, it kinda varies."

"Well, I guess you're right on that."

In the upstairs hallway, Charles managed to safely get Geo's ball up on the last step, placing him on the carpet. The little hamster quickly rolled to the open bathroom door, entering the interior, somehow closing the door from behind, jumping out of his transparent ball and onto the seat of the toilet to try and relieve himself before Charles slowly approached the door. He sat right in front of it, softly whistling to pass some time. But, by the time he stopped whistling, the hamster finished his business. About a minute and a half later, the white dog himself heard a small, faint splash omitting from the toilet bowl from the other side of the door. Not only that, he also heard faint cries of help from the hamster, his fear growing bigger that he was about to drown in that filthy water inside the bowl.

"Aah! Somebody! Help!"

Charles took immediate action. He stood on his two hind legs, extending his paw out to reach the bathroom door knob to open the door. As he entered the interior from the creaked open door, he headed for the fishing net in the corner of the bathroom interior, grabbing hold of the tip of the item by the mouth as he ran over to the toilet, putting the net into the filthy water, scooping the wet hamster out of the bowl before setting the net down on the bathroom floor. Geo had gasped for air a couple of times before shaking off some of the excess toilet water from his fur, looking up to the dog as if he was some sort of superhero.

"Phew. Thanks so much, dog!" He praised.

"Don't mention it, Ham. You okay?"

"Yeah, I guess."

The hamster wiped off his little forehead.

"My gosh, that was... pretty terrifying."

"You know, I've been in worse."

Geo wondered what situation Charles could've been in that may have been worse than the one he was in a couple of seconds ago.

"Oh, really?"

"Yeah, for me it was almost just as bad as someone downright scoldin' me for drinkin' outta some huge water bowl."

* * *

 _Couple of years back, Charles was in the bathroom without the lights on, lapping up the clear filthy water straight from the toilet bowl for a short amount of time just before young Lincoln showed up, pushing open the creaked door. The white-haired boy flicked the lights on to reveal the dog still licking up the toilet water from the bowl before he walked over to the dog, now licking his lips, picking him up from the floor, pulling him away from the toilet._

 _"Charles, no! What are you doing?!" he said as he scolded the thirsty panting dog as he wagged his little tail, holding him a couple inches away, only to get interrupted mid-sentence by a moist tongue to the kid's face._

 _"Aah! Boy, that's gross!"_

 _Lincoln set the white canine down, wiping off the wet saliva from his face cheeks with his right arm._

* * *

"Oh." Geo reacted.

He thought to himself for a quick second, regarding Charles' noodle incident.

"Could that possibly be why the toilet lid is always down every time we come in here..?"

Charles shrugged to him as he answered back.

"I really don't know why I like to drink from there sometimes but I do. It's pretty much a dog thing if you ask me."

Cliff and Walt made their way upstairs, both heading into the bathroom where the two pets are.

"What's going on here?" The canary asked.

"We heard some noises up here. You guys alright?" The cat concernedly added.

Charles and Geo looked at each other before looking back to Cliff and Walt.

"We're good." The hamster answered.

"Yeah, what he said." The dog added.

Walt turned his attention to Geo, preparing to ask him a simple question.

"Hey, I gotta ask ya this little question I got. Why do you always have to run upstairs to the bathroom to do... y'know, when you could've just gone outside behind a bush or something and save ya the trouble of ascending those sturdy stairs?"

Geo hesitated and sighed.

"You want the truth?" he said.

"Yes, please." The canary answered.

The hamster inhaled for a second, before exhaling, preparing to give Cliff his straight and honest answer.

"Not long ago, one of the humans in the household took the time to teach me how to use this toilet."

The trio of pets, looked blankly at him.

"Really?" Walt said, before turning to Cliff and Charles. "You guys hearing this?"

"Yeah, but I sorta knew how to use the toilet myself back like two years ago."

"So, they took the time to teach you two how to use that thing but not us?" Walt said, slightly irritated.

"What are you, the special duo?"

The canary was growing with anger, questioning the little hamster.

"This is not the time for jealousy, bird." Charles said to the canary before they all looked back to the moist and filthy little hamster.

The hamster hesitated, staring back at them the way they stared at him before he continued to explain about how he's able to use the toilet.

"This thing's for whenever you need to do your business in, so if you gotta go... you go in there. But, don't forget to flush after every release!"

Charles was starting to grow afraid now, widening up his eyes, his heel realization that the toilet is for going to the bathroom.

"Wait a minute... yer sayin' that's not a huge water bowl I can drink out of?!"

Geo confidently nodded his head, making Charles feel a little bit grossed out.

 _"Bleh! I had my tongue in there and everythin'!_ "

The dog immediately started spitting on the bathroom floor in front of him, brushing possible traces of germs off of his long tongue as Cliff and Walt both laughed uncontrollably at the humiliated canine.

"My gosh, I can't believe you actually drank from the toilet!" Walt obviously stated, trying his best to hold in his laughter from Charles' gross little incident.

"You really thought that was a big bowl for where the family serves ya water?" Cliff added to the fire.

"Zip it, bird 'n cat!" Charles angrily said to the two of them, slightly blushing but still grossed out before turning away from the two, resuming his spitting and tongue rubbing.

Cliff swiftly gestured that Charles was a little loco in the ol' noggin for it with a savage smile behind his back, while he was still spitting out the germs. Walt turned to Geo, recapping on how to use the toilet and how it works.

"So lemme see if I got this correctly. First, you sit on the toilet, take as much time as you need in order to do some business and when finished, you flush."

"You got it, my friendo!"

"Alright then."

Charles stomach started rumbling, causing him to pause his spitting session. He needed to go, almost immediately as Geo pointed out the noise from the dog.

"Sounds like the dog might needs to give it a try." Geo said to Charles.

"The _right_ way."

"Alright quick! Everybody get out!" Charles loudly commanded as the three pets escorted themselves outside in the hallway, before closing the door from behind the three of them. But before he got into position to start doing his business, he ran over to the sink, hopping up to turn on the faucets to drown out some of the noise as if it was nobody's business. The slightly constipated dog jumped up on the toilet seat, walking in a quick circle before he got into position.

Cliff and Walt sat patiently on the other side of the door, calling dibs on who gets to go next after Charles was doneas their stomachs strated growling, getting slightly noisier and noticeable every second they waited.

"I'm next up, bird." The cat said, getting closer to the door.

"Freeze. That's where you're wrong, feline!" The canary rebutted, getting in his face.

"What do you mean I'm wrong? I have to use the bathroom more than you do!"

"I'm sure you'll survive with one more animal in line, since I take way less time to go than you do!"

Cliff and Walt glared directly into their eyes, squinting them tighter, building up some fury as they hissed and growled.

"Oh no, not this again..." Geo said, growing concerned as he threw his head down.

Flush.

The faucets stopped running in the latrine, followed by a quick opening of the door. Charles emerged from the interior with a short trail of toilet paper from his hind paw, sighing in great relief right before the yellow canary zipped right inside, leaving Cliff the cat in the dust.

He was really devastated.

"Ay! No fair, bird!"

"Oh yeah, it's totally fair! Suck it up, cat!" Walt taunted, rubbing it in Cliff's face.

"Why ya little biped!"

He became even more desperate to go, his stomach growling more louder as he tries to fight the pain.

 _"Meooooowww!"_

"You did it, dog!" Geo praised to Charles.

The bathroom door closed, bumping the white dog's bum as it pushed him forward about a couple inches. He hatched up an idea that could leave the family members in a bit of a surprise once they came back home.

"Hey Ham," he said.

"What is it?" Geo asked.

"This is actually rather great achievement, learnin' to be potty trained all of a sudden!"

"Doesn't it sound sophisticated for you?"

Charles got a tiny bit confused. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means you got class. Like it feels good to have experience... did I word that right?"

"Oh. Then yeah, my class sure is fine tonight!"

Charles smirked, along with waggling eyebrows as Geo gave off a side glance.

"Oh boy." He said, silently judging the dog for saying that... line.

Cliff stepped in to correct the Hamster's definition of the word he mentioned.

"Actually Ham, it means to have experience... in fashion and culture."

It became clear to Geo, after a short time of processing the information.

" _Ohhh..._ "

The bathroom door creaked open again along with omitting a flushing sound from the toilet as Walt flew out from the room before Cliff made a run for it inside the interior, quickly closing the door from behind. He took a small bit of time to turn on the faucets to drown out some of his business.

"I am gonna get that backstabbing Loud for not teaching me about this earlier."

The slightly mad canary flew right back downstairs, onto the living room couch to catch the remaining latter half of the program still being broadcasted on the bright screen of the television.

Charles resumed his conversation with Geo.

"As I was sayin', with the four of us learnin' to use the toilet, they can finally get rid of the litterboxes, and I can stop goin' outdoors, diggin' holes out just to do my business. Cause honestly, after a while, the smell of our own waste gets way too overwhelmin' inside the house for any of us to bear."

"I can kinda see where you're going with that statement." The hamster said.

He stopped and sniffed out the air for a short time before he walked to the bathroom door, knocking on it a few times.

"Hey cat! Flush in there ya stinker!"

"Oh shut it, dog!" The cat said as it was barely noticeable due to the sound of running faucets behind closed doors.

The white dog, subtly snickered.

"I really can't thank ya enough, Ham. Least there ain't gonna be any more musky scents in this house."

"Wait, what about dirty towels and clothes?"

"Oh yeah, there's those..."

Charles rubbed his head for a brief moment, before making his way down the stairs as Geo followed him from behind.

"Dog, have you ever wondered why the cat still uses his litter box if he already knew how to use the toilet?" He asked.

"I really have no idea, Ham. Life in this house, it's a big mystery." Charles answered without hesitating.

The two pets arrived at the living room, where Walt was expressing boredom, still watching the television program, now currently on a commercial break. Charles headed directly for Cliff's musky litter box, sitting stationary in the corner of the room.

"With the way we're all trained to use the bathroom now, the cat won't be needin' this thing anytime soon."

A brief moment later, Charles went outside, emerging from the doggy door and onto the porch from the back of the house, dragging the litter box with him wherever he went while he had a clothespin closing his nostrils.

It was that putrid to his nose somehow.

He dumped the contents out onto the side of the porch before setting the container aside. Unfortunately a skunk crossed paths with the litter being dumped all over its innocent body, burying it deep inside the content. A beat later, it popped its head out from the litter, seething with anger as it looked up to see who was the one responsible for dumping it right on its head.

It caught a small glimpse of the dog's paws, dusting his paws off before jumping out from the pile of litter, running its way up the stairs in an attempt to try to block the dog from going back in the house. He stood right in front of the doggy door, glaring deep inside Charles' eyes with paws crossed, refusing to move a single muscle as the dog took a step back from the musky skunk.

"Scuse youse. Might ya move?" He said before the angry skunk shook his head sideways.

Charles took a big gulp as he stared the skunk down, eyebrows raised in the process. The skunk was determined to fulfill his nasty retribution. It turned around, shaking his butt high in the air, as he deviously smiled at the scared dog.

"Ruh-roh..."

Back inside, Cliff, Walt and Geo sat together back on the couch, watching a different television program.

 _"In this case, we have a mother whose car went up in flames due to her fifteen-year-old son not getting the game 'Claw of Duty'."_

Geo started up a brand new conversation with the two pets.

"Oh my gosh. Isn't this one of the craziest things you've seen so far today?"

"Yeah, it is." Walt answered.

"I'm with ya on that, bird." Cliff added.

A long beat later, Cliff caught a whiff of something in the living room, with the canary and hamster doing the same a few seconds later.

Something real smelly was afoot.

The cat tried to waft the air with his right paw, before blocking his nose with the left.

"Geez! What is that smell?"

Walt and Geo quickly glanced over to the cat, before he looked back at the two of them, acting rather suspicious about him.

"Don't try to pin the blame on me!"

"Well, you were the first to complain." Walt said to the cat.

"And that makes ya think I'm the caper here?"

"Well..." Geo softly said.

"How dare you guys!"

The three all argued towards one another, throwing accusations left and right when they were supposed to find out where the random stench was coming from. A few seconds into their fight, Charles blankly walked into the living room, his upper coat all smelly now, hygiene dropping after each passing second. He made his way to the side of the couch before sitting down with ears flopped, whining in defeat.

Cliff, Walt, and Geo paused their arguing to pay attention to the smelly dog. They silently gasped in shock, instantly concerned about him as they jumped down from the couch and onto the carpets.

"Whoa!" Walt exclaimed.

"Oh my gosh..." Geo said.

"Dog? Aw no, what happened to ya?" Cliff asked.

"I'd rather not talk about it." Charles answered before he got up, taking a step away from the rest of the pets to look singled out before sitting on his two hind legs, making himself look like he was stretching and flexing.

"Just know that... I had a lil' tussle with an outdoor skunk a few minutes ago."

"I thought you said you weren't gonna talk about it..." Walt said, confused.

"Ya lost, didn't ya?" Cliff asked with a small smirk.

"Quiet, Cat." Charles answered to Cliff as the mangy feline let out a small snicker along with Walt and Geo for a while.

Charles was unamused, rolling his eyes before taking a glance at the audience.

"This stinks. _Literally._ "

Cliff popped up from behind, holding his nose with his paw.

"Hook, line and _stinker_ everybody!"

Charles growled at the incredible, yet lame pun the cat made before he shook his head in mere disappointment, all the while Cliff laughed.

* * *

 **~End~**


	4. Webcome To The Jam

_Story 3: Webcome to the Jam_

 _ **A/N:** I know it's not an appealing title but this is all I could think of._

* * *

It's a warm Sunday evening, the Loud family was nowhere to be found inside of their residence as they all went out about ninety minutes prior to attend a baseball match and have a good time. Downstairs inside the living room, Cliff was there, sleeping next to the computer desk, dreaming peacefully with nothing around the feline to disturb him.

It was very quiet.

Too quiet... to the point that it was very peaceful even.

A few minutes passed by as the sun slowly started to descend down in the horizon before Cliff decided to eventually wake up from his little slumber to the sound of carpet noises from Charles' paws as he approached the cat with Lincoln's laptop balancing carefully on his back.

Cliff stared blankly at the dog, wondering what he was up to at the very hour.

"Dog?" he said. "What are ya doin'?"

"Oh nothin'." The dog replied.

The cat slightly squinted his eyes as he put his paws on top of Charles' head, pushing down on him as his color blind sight became fixated on the laptop screen.

"That sure doesn't look like nothin'. What is that, a portable TV?"

Charles pushed his head back up, making Cliff remove his paws off of him.

"Nope. It's just some item... no wait, computer!"

"A computer? Where did you get that..?"

Cliff became suspicious.

"Upstairs, why?"

"Are you really sure we're supposed ta be messin' with things that humans play with?"

"Don'tcha worry, cat," The dog reassured. "They don't get back 'til late. I'm sure nobody will mind!"

Cliff stood quiet for a brief period of time.

"Ok so ta you... this is like sayin' 'It's not a crime, unless you intend to get caught' or somethin'?"

"Well, I... forget it. Now you really gotta check this out. All this stuff the boy has on this thing is just stunnin'."

The dog stood still as Cliff walked over to the laptop, grabbing hold of it with his own two paws on each side, placing it on the carpet floor. He looked at the screen, amused with the content on the device.

"Wow. This is nice." He said, before noticing a little earth icon on the top left corner of the screen. He hesitated, staring directly at the icon before pointing directly at it.

"Hey, what's that?"

Charles looked to the cat in a slightly irritated motion.

"...Look below it."

Cliff noticed a small word under the icon. It said _"Internet"_.

"Oh, I see." He said, slightly embarrassed for asking about it.

"What's the big deal about it?"

Charles froze, slightly raising his eyebrows.

"You really don't know what the internet is?"

"Fraid not. Why so frozen all of a sudden there, dog?"

"Because it is definitely a big deal! There's lotsa things on there you can definitely do to pass the time!"

"Like what?"

Charles answered the cat's curious question, placing emphasis on each and every word he spoke.

"Food! Games! Education!"

Cliff turned to the audience to give off a quick reminder. "Stay in school, kids."

"I also took the time to find out some more information about my kind. Apparently, I have a way better sense of smell than a human's, sniffin' butts in order to identify another bein', my teeth are cleaner than theirs and everythin' else cool I didn't know about myself!"

"Yeah, even man's best friend."

Charles quickly started to fantasize about the next word he uttered from his lips, quickly wagging his tail in excitement.

"Even the entertainment... Oh yeah. Entertainment..."

He paused in the middle of his own dialogue, rolling his tongue out as he panted. Cliff got really confused to where this was going, prompting him to ask Charles some sort of a follow up question.

"Entertainment of what exactly?"

Charles shook his head, quickly snapping out of his fantasy as he answered the cat's question with little to no hesitation.

"...Pet videos!"

The dog glanced towards the audience, followed by Cliff soon after. "What'cha think I was gonna say?"

The cat looked back to Charles, followed by another question he had on his mind.

"Can we even ask it questions we have?"

"You bet, cat! Ask it anythin' you have and it'll getcha an answer in a snap."

Cliff was now excited to get the internet a try.

"Ooh, okay! So what do you do?"

Charles walked next to him, sitting down on the floor, operating the device. He rubbed the mouse pad with his paw, moving the mouse on the screen as it overlaps the internet icon before he clicked on it, booting up the application almost instantly. It created a rectangular window on the screen, overlapping most of the icons on the background before a search engine website popped up with a search bar in the middle to enter some text.

"Looks nice so far." Cliff said before Walt flew into the living room, landing on the carpet, sitting stationary from the distance, watching the two animals play around on Lincoln's laptop.

"Now what?"

"Type in whatever you want?"

Cliff looked down on the keyboard before he froze. He didn't know what to do as there were letters scattered all over the place, thinking that typing would seem rather uneasy from the inexperienced feline.

"Is... there a D somewhere?"

"Of course there's a D."

The dog pointed to the left side of the keyboard.

"See, it's right there in the middle between S and F."

Cliff browsed around the keyboard, before he eventually found it a few seconds later.

"Oh, here it is."

He firmly pressed down on the key, adding one character into the search box on the window before lifting his paw back up. He hesitated as he was trying to remember what he was going to put in the search box that started with the character he inputted before typing out the rest of the word into the bar, taking his sweet, precious time as he inputted the correct characters into the box to spell out the word "dartfish" before Charles tilted his head, looking at the word as if he's never seen or heard of it before.

"Ah, there we go." Cliff said, satisfied with the input.

"What do I need to do now?"

Charles answered the cat, as he pointed to the enter key on the keyboard.

"All that's left now is for you to press down that key and you're ready to go."

Cliff did exactly as the dog commanded. The two of them watched as the site took its time, sitting on its loading screen for a quick second before revealing hundreds of results with whatever was typed into the search box.

The cat was amused, slowly moving his tail around as he observed the digital photographs on the latter side of the screen.

 _"Mrow!"_

"Oh yeah, that is so satisfyin'."

"Indeed, cat." Charles added.

"Bet those kind of fish taste even better than the goldfish!"

He moistened up his bottom lip, as Charles had a possible thought regarding the last thing Cliff had uttered.

"Wait a minute..." he softly said, irises shrinking ever so slightly.

"Seriously, dog. This is the most amazing thing to ever exist!" Cliff happily stated, loud and proud.

"Yeah, but I hear it's also dangerous." Walt said, walking towards the two with a very concerned look as he intervened with their conversation.

"Wait, really?" Cliff innocently reacted.

"Yeah, you have to be really careful with where you go on the internet. You never know what you could run into."

"Ok then, safety bird. I mean, it's not like we're gonna be on sites we ain't supposed to be on."

The cat accidentally hit a random key on the keyboard as he talked with the canary, bringing up a brand new tab on the application, listing a page of sites that Lincoln has been on before the animals got their paws on his device.

"Oopsie..."

"Whatcha do?" Charles concernedly asked.

"I... might've accidentally hit somethin' and this popped up I guess..?"

Charles and Walt gathered close to observe the history page together, scanning through each and every one of the sites listed on the screen. As they were all fixated on the screen, the canary read some of the sites the eleven-year-old boy was active on one by one.

"Ace Savvy the Game walkthrough... Classroom tips... Hardcore wildlife... Ghost sightings..?"

"Ghosts?!" Charles whimpered.

"That's quite some stuff the boy's been into." Cliff said as Charles looked all around the room, on the lookout for something, walking off momentarily into the kitchen before Cliff noticed a file on the right side of the background of the screen, maneuvering the mouse over it before clicking it. The laptop's system didn't do anything for a beat before the file Cliff clicked on managed to fully load, revealing a slightly blurred snapshot of Charles' hairless butt.

Cliff froze for a brief moment, slightly tilting his feline head before he motioned towards Walt and Geo, telling them to look at the photo. They reacted with a simple smile before the curious cat called out to the unsuspecting dog, who went to go grab something to munch on from the kitchen, eventually returning back to the living room with the others.

"Hey, dog..." He said, smiling.

"Yeah?" Charles answered.

"Looks like the kid's got a photo of yer naked little bum!"

He oscillated the laptop, the screen now facing the dog in from of it. Charles froze, his face turning pink as he was confused as to how the photograph got on the laptop.

"Wha- how'd it get on here?!" The dog reacted, shaking his head in a swift, frantic motion before Cliff answered his question.

"Remember that robotic vacuum that the big man bought? It caught ahold of yer-"

"I know what done happened that day, cat." Charles interrupted. "It disturbed our peace, violatin' more than just our naps!"

"So we killed that thing." Walt added, as Cliff soft stroked Charles on the head.

"Yeah we did." Cliff added.

Charles hatched a thought, immediately getting the sudden realization that destroying the vacuum robot was a mistake.

"But I do kinda regret breaking the thing. I coulda relied on that thing to catch those spooky ghosts!"

"I definitely would want to make a very clever joke about that vacuum situation but I'm not sure if that radar up there is gonna allow it." Cliff wondered, scratching his feline head.

"Let's not trigger that thing, alright cat? Also, you can stop pettin' me now."

Cliff stopped stroking the dog.

"Oh, alright."

Charles looked directly at the screen, still showing his hairless butt as the cat chattered along before he grabbed ahold of the laptop with this mouth before he headed upstairs with it.

"Hey, where ya going with that?" Cliff asked.

"N-nowhere?" Charles nervously answered.

"Um, you're going upstairs with the computer though..." Walt suspiciously said.

"Yeah, somethin' came up that I need to take care of... I'll be back!"

Charles zipped through the small remainder of steps leading up to the upstairs hallway and into Lincoln's open room. Cliff and Walt shared an confused glance towards each other before they both followed the dog upstairs as if he was trying to awkwardly hide something from the two of them.

As the cat and the canary reached the outside of Lincoln's room, they sneaked a little peek inside the claustrophobic room. They spotted the dog hooking up a printer on the table in front of him, printing out the photograph that was still on the laptop before he maneuvered the mouse around, eventually finding a way to erase the file completely off the system, all the while he whistled as if he was playing innocence throughout the entire ordeal. The printer finished printing a photograph as the file was completely removed from the laptop, never to be seen again before Charles grabbed the photo without even looking at it, folding it up only once.

Cliff and Walt looked to each other for a brief moment before looking back at the dog, still being unaware of their presence. As they proceeded to walk in the room without even thinking to knock, the cat omitted a soft sneeze, prompting Charles to look to his left, facing the door of the room where the two pets were stationary, glaring softly at the nervous pup.

He jumped almost immediately at their sudden appearance, he didn't know they were sitting there throughout most of the situation.

"What are you two doin' up here? I said I would be right back..!"

Cliff took a step forward, growing a bit suspicious of the canine's weird behavior.

"What were ya doin' up here?"

"You're literally acting weird." Walt added.

"It's nothin', honestly!"

Cliff squinted his eyes, staring deep into the nervous dog's eyes as if he just lied straight to their face.

"Stand aside, dog." The cat bluntly stated, making Charles feel uneasy as he took a step back from the cat and Lincoln's laptop.

Cliff jumped on the laptop, searching thoroughly on the screen. The remaining windows that were left open was just the internet, now back on the main screen, showing the search box with no characters to show inside of it. Cliff was understandably suspicious, as he asked the dog a couple of questions regarding his activity with the laptop.

"What was the last thing you were doing on the computer?"

"Closing out some things?"

"Like what?"

Charles gulped.

"Like... some files that I needed to close down, like the photograph you found on this thing...?"

Cliff hesitated as he stared the dog down.

"...Are ya sure that was the last thing you were doing on that thing..?"

Charles answered "Yup!" without any type of hesitation to show, with a big smile, including teeth.

"For crying out loud, cat." Walt said to Cliff before he turned his undivided attention to Charles.

"You were printing something a couple of seconds ago. What was it?"

"I'm willin' ta bet a bag of Meowz that it was his own buns!" Cliff smirked to the canary.

"Alright, this is gettin' outta hand! Not another word about this!" Charles bluntly stated to the two, glaring back at them seriously.

Cliff and Walt looked back to each other yet again. This time, showing off a bit a remorse for barging in on the dog.

"Ok, sorry." Cliff said.

"Alright then." Walt added.

Charles stood on his two hind legs yet again, hopping back on Lincoln's laptop as he maneuvered the mouse around to overlap it with a couple of hyperlinks on the history page before one of them caught the dog's attention.

"Canine breeds...?" Charles said, growing more curious by the second before he clicked on the link, leading Charles to a site revealing several breeds of dogs with potential personalities listed beside each of the dogs on the homepage of the site.

Charles was instantly hooked on the site, not willing to look away or anything as he was distracted by a couple pictures of purebred dogs that caused the curious dog to crank out a small little smile.

"My gosh, those dogs are just beautiful to look at... ruff!" Charles said, irresistibly wagging his tail as Cliff stood on his two hind legs, looking at the rectangular screen of the laptop.

"Yep, those are some fine lookin' canines there, dog."

"Interesting, I guess." Walt added.

"I almost wanna get a photo of them." Charles said, bringing his face towards the laptop screen before he accidentally set his paw on the one of the keys on the keyboard, triggering the printer to print out a photo of whatever was projected on the screen. The three pets turned to the printer, omitting noises as it was doing its job before it stopped for a brief moment, while Walt and Cliff turned back to Charles.

"What did you do now?" Walt asked before Charles looked down on the keyboard, his paw still pushing down the keys that triggered the printer for a brief period of time. He noticed that he accidentally printed something else.

"Roh-no..." The dog realized, guilt interfering his voice.

The printer started up again, starting to print out more copies, this time, blasting out numerous pieces of paper as they were airborne, covering up the room one by one. The three animals were in shock, they didn't know what to do.

"Oh no!" Walt exclaimed.

"I didn't mean it!" Charles sadly admitted in shame.

"We gotta do somethin' to stop that printer!" Cliff said.

"I'm all ears, cat!"

The dog left the laptop unattended, walking away to the printer along with Cliff and Walt, trying to figure out how to stop the printer from printing so many papers. The canary went in, flying on top of the printer, pecking away at some of the buttons on the top for a brief period of time but to no effect.

"It's not working, guys!" Walt stated as Charles tried to unhook the printer from the laptop, but it also didn't work. He held the cable in his hand, showing it to Cliff and Walt.

"This didn't work either, not surprised."

"Let me try somethin'." Cliff said to Walt, as he walked to the printer, getting a face full of paper from the printer before throwing his paws up, blocking pieces of paper being shot at the feline, one slightly snipping his paw.

"Meow! Paper cut, paper cut!"

Cliff ducked down for cover in the sea of papers, avoiding getting hit by even more of them.

"What are we gonna do now?" He worried.

Walt thought of an idea, but it involves a bit of destruction.

"I think I got it! Dog, go get some water! We're gonna shorten this thing out!"

"No way, bird." Charles said.

He was filled with determination, brave enough to fix this himself.

"I think I know somethin' else to do to stop that thing. I'm goin' in."

Charles was ready to make a move, crawling closer and closer to the printer under all the paper that landed all over the floor. It was getting intense for him, worried as if he wasn't going to be able to pull this off. The cat and the canary, both watched the determined dog, cheering him on as if he knew what he was doing.

"C'mon, dog!" Cliff said.

"You can do it!" Walt added.

Charles made it to the side of the dresser, pulling on the side as it was brought closer to him after each pull. He managed to create a small disproportionate opening just enough for Charles to at least fit his paw through, before he took a look behind the dresser, finding the plug to the laptop's AC adapter and the printer.

"I think I found it!" he exclaimed.

"Hurry and unplug it!" Cliff commanded.

The dog had two choices to pick from in order to find out which one leads to the printer. His paws started sweating as if he's trying to be extra careful to not pick the wrong cord, but in his case, he has no choice but to take a chance.

He covered his eyes with his paw, and stuck the other behind the dresser, grabbing hold on one of the cords before he yanked it right out of the outlet and onto the floor below. It was the right cord, as the printer soon died down, shooting out one last piece of paper before it was all over.

The pets all took deep breaths, relieved that it was done but soon realized they're all faced with a bigger problem now. The floor was filled with papers, covering each square inch of carpet below.

They were instantly concerned, looking at one another with sad expressions before they huddled together.

"Well, now what are we gonna do?" Walt said.

"I'm afraid they're gonna kick us out in the cold streets for this..." Cliff worried.

Cliff whips up a thought cloud, about to picture the aftermath of the situation before Charles popped it right in front of him.

"There's no time for imagine spots, cat! The sooner we can rectify this problem, the sooner we won't have ta worry about it."

"He's right, let's clean up this place."

The three put their paws and wings in for a second, before they all said "Break!"

Ten Minutes Later

In the downstairs kitchen, Cliff stood on his hind legs, holding open the trash lid for Charles to throw a trash bag filled with paper in before letting go of the top as it barely closed on its own. The dog and the cat pushed down on the lid as hard as they can, before they couldn't push it down any further. The deed was finished now, both pets getting back down on all of their fours. The pets were finally relieved. Lincoln's room was free of papers and back to the way the interior originally looked, it looked like no one has ever set foot in it ever since the kids were gone for the day. The three proceeded to walk back into the living room, making their way to the rug to rest for the evening.

"Phew. Glad that's over." Cliff stated.

"That sure was... something." Walt said.

"Indeed, bird 'n cat." Charles agreed before putting his head down. "First I would have to apologize."

"Don't be too hard on yerself, dog." Cliff said to the downer, patting him on the head. "Accidents happen, right?"

"Yeah, you could say that." Charles answered, lifting up his canine spirit. "But y'know somethin'?"

"Yeah?" The cat and canary both said in unison.

"At least somethin' good came out of that."

He closed his eyes, whipping out the picture he printed out from earlier in the day before the printer incident occurred.

"I got a cute little souvenir of that dog I really like for me to hang in my doghouse!"

He puckered his lips, kissing the picture as he wagged his little tail, hearts floating around his canine head. Cliff and Walt sat and watched as they smiled on, having trouble holding off their own laughter before it got the better of them a few seconds in. Charles looked directly behind him, turning around as he observed the two animals lose their marbles over him kissing the picture he had in his paws.

"What's gotten into you two?" he asked as if he didn't know what was going on. Cliff hesitated, still trying to gain control of his laughter before answering the dog.

"Dog, that isn't a photo of the dog. It's your butt!"

Cliff and Walt continued their laughter as Charles looked at the photo he just put his lips on this time, his face quickly started blushing before he angrily tore the picture up into several pieces, ears flopped.

"Rats!" He reacted, arms crossed in humiliation.

A minute later, the pets all heard footsteps coming towards the front door. They all stopped what they're doing and pretended to yawn fall asleep, right there on the rug.

The front door opened. The Loud kids all instantly headed upstairs as the authority figures headed to their rooms.

"Hey, Charles."

"Hey, Cliff."

"Hey, Walt."

They all entered their open rooms, closing the door behind them.

The pets still rested without a problem to spot, up until they heard some dialogue from upstairs, coming from Lincoln.

"Hey, what's this on my laptop?"

A small pause had occurred, before Lincoln uttered something else, giving off a rather horrified reaction.

"Aah! That's _disgusting!_ "

Charles, Cliff, and Walt all woke up from their sleep, looking towards each other, shocked and paranoid at what Lincoln might have found on his laptop.

"Ruh-roh..."

* * *

 **~End~**


	5. Furental Control

_Story 4: Furental Control_

* * *

 _11:00 am_

It's yet another Monday morning down in Royal Woods, Michigan. Rita was in the living room, holding sweet little Lily Loud, snoozing comfortably in her arms, discussing about watching over the fifteen-month-old child as the parents made plans to go watch a romantic movie and then some lunch afterwards while the Loud kids were still in school for the day with an inexperienced, and somewhat lazy, female teenage babysitter they have just hired just for the day. They were a bit nervous since the last babysitter they hired had some bit of complications, but that didn't stop them from hiring another one. Charles the dog and Cliff the cat were sleeping together next to the stairs, overhearing their little conversation.

"Now, do you have any questions or concerns about our bouncing baby Lily?" She confidently asked, handing Lily into the babysitter's arms.

"Don't you worry about a thing ma'am. I got you covered."

She winked to the woman with a smile, before Lily woke up in the sitter's arms, babbling and giggling about.

"She's a cute little kid you got there too!"

Lynn Sr. barged into the room, running to the teenage lady with a list of things to do, regarding about taking care of the baby in question.

"Honey, we gotta go! The movie's starting in less than a half hour from now!" He said, handing the slip of paper to the sitter.

"Wait what?! I thought it starts in about an hour!"

"Yeah, well for some reason they decided to push it forward approximately about a half hour so we need to go now if we want to catch the movie on time!"

"Dang movie theaters and their inconsistent time slots!"

Rita headed towards the front door, placing her hand on the knob as she proceeded to slightly twist it at a forty-five degree angle, opening the door in front of her before taking a step out on the porch.

"I'll be waiting in Vanzilla!" She said, before walking outside to the good old vehicle.

The father figure of the house, turned to the sitter, explaining what they have written on the paper as a heads up.

"This list should tell you everything you need to know and do about our little Lily. We'll see you at two if all goes well!"

He sprinted out the front door, shutting the door from behind before getting in Vanzilla, driving off into the distance as the sound of the engines omitting from the vehicle faded out.

It was almost quiet in the house now due to the baby's constant cooing, slightly disturbing the pets' slumber after her noises lasted for a brief period of time. After the babysitter felt like she was in the clear, she whipped out her cell phone and dialed up one of her best friends, instantly chatting away as soon as her call was being answered, before she plopped down on the surface of the couch behind her with little Lily in her soft hands.

The conversation the girl had was loud, lasting a couple of seconds, before it reached to the point where it got Charles and Cliff to awaken from their sleep, feeling a bit cranky and irritated about their sudden disturbance. They responded with soft growls before the two animals tried to fall back to sleep, trying to block out their conversation by covering their ears with their paws.

 _Ten Minutes Later_

It unsurprisingly didn't work for them after it lasted a whole lot longer than they thought it'd be.

The pets were fed up with the sitter's speaking as they got up on their fours, walking towards and sitting right in front of the unsuspecting teenager with Lily sitting right next to her, smiling and cooing. Cliff stared at her, distracted by her appearance, thinking she's pretty cute. Charles barked at the two, grabbing Lily's attention immediately, admiring the canine's appearance.

"Doggy!" she said.

After another bark, it grabbed the sitter's attention for a brief moment. She jumped a bit, before responding to Lily.

"Yes Lily, that is a dog!" She said with a half-hearted reaction before talking on her phone again.

"Nah, it was just their dumb dog. I'm babysitting for someone."

Charles softly growled to the sitter, before calming down due to Cliff setting his paw on the dog's head, softly stroking his fur, growing more sympathetic overtime. Lily called out to the cat, trying to grab his attention.

"Kitty!" She giggled as Cliff meowed back to her in a positive tone. The sitter noticed Cliff, sitting down in front of her, placing his paws on her legs as he meowed once more.

"Yes Lily, that's a cat!" She calmly said, before setting the baby off to the side of the couch.

"I'll be back in a minute! Don't you stop being adorbs!"

She started to get her rump off of the couch, standing up as she headed to the dining room and into the kitchen, leaving the list of objectives behind on the surface of one of the couch cushions as the dog and the cat sat and watched. The bouncing baby girl rolled around on the blue, soft and comfortable couch surfaces for a brief period of time before she reached the edge of the couch, in danger of falling off.

Charles yelped out a word or two as he sprung into action as Cliff's eyes widened as he watched the dog jump in to saving the baby from hitting the floor. She fell off the couch, and Charles walked under the descending baby, breaking her little disproportionate fall, catching her as she landed on his furry back.

The two pets sighed together in relief, before Charles struggles to carry the baby waving his arms high in the air on his back.

"Well, that was close." Cliff uttered.

"Yeah, clearly." Charles responded.

"How could she just leave the kid unattended like that?"

"Yeah! Like what's her problem?"

"Giddy up!" Lily giggled, kicking her feet in the air.

Charles was slightly mad at the teenager behind her back for that little mistake. Cliff on the other paw, had a heel realization about their current situation they're dealing with right at the very minute. He gasped.

"Wait a sec, we're talkin' in front of the kid! Don't you think the girl and the kid here are gonna understand what we're sayin'?"

"Don'tcha worry 'bout that. We can understand what they're sayin' but they can't understand what we're sayin'."

Cliff hesitated to think about it for a beat.

"Oh... really?"

Charles responded with a simple and noticeable nod before he looked around the interior of the living room, eventually noticing the unattended slip of paper, still laying on top of the couch.

"Hey cat, snatch that slip of paper up there."

Cliff walked over to the couch, picking up the paper from the couch, observing the writing on it as he showed it to the struggling dog, getting his head bopped by a happy Lily.

"It's a to-do list that they gave to the girl. Pretty simple instructions they got on there too."

"What does it say on there?"

"Feed the baby at least once or twice, change her diaper if necessary, keep her clean at all times, and especially out of harm's way. They'll be back three hours from now also. If ya ask me, that last one's pretty much done."

"Oh, that shouldn't be so hard." Charles reacted, as Lily dismounted off of the white dog, waddling around the room in front of the two pets.

"I bet we could make better babysitters than that irresponsible teen."

"Wait, what? We're just animals, playin' our role as pets though!"

"Yeah, but it's also our job to protect this family at all costs. And we're part of this family!"

"Are you sure we can do this?" Cliff worried, as Lily's diaper started to omit a foul smell heading towards the two unsuspecting animals.

"Well cat, If we managed to pull off an amazin' rescue of that pup that we got locked up inside that animal prison, I'm pretty sure that watchin' over this kid'll be a breeze through a fresh meadow!"

"I ain't gonna argue with that unrealistic logic there. Life in this house's a big mystery after all. I mean, I can stand on my two back legs, tall 'n proud."

Cliff turned to the audience for some advice, bluntly saying these specific words as he stood up on his back legs, front paws on his hips.

"You out there readin' this oughta calm down sometime and remember that this is just a cartoon show. No need ta get so worked up over somethin' like this!"

The cat got back down on all fours, plopping his rump on the carpet floor as he looked over to Charles.

"Felt pretty good finally gettin' that outta my system."

"Alright cat, take a deep breath..."

As the cat and dog closed their eyes, inhaling the air to de-stress themselves, the overwhelming stench of Lily's diaper crossed paths with Cliff's big black nose, causing the disgusted feline to open their eyes wide, drooping his feline ears as he started wafting the stench away from him.

"Oh, gross! Dog, did ya just..."

"What?" Charles questioned before the same stench entered the canine's nostrils, causing him to react and do the exact same thing the feline did, looking directly at the baby's backside.

"Hoo boy. Smells like the kid needs a change."

"Well go ahead and change her!"

Charles immediately jumped, looking at Cliff as he nominated the dog to do the dirty job.

"...Wha- me? Scuse you?"

"Hey, somebody's gotta do it! I mean, you're the dog! You can literally tolerate thousands of smells out there in the world, includin' baby stink!"

"That's preposterous! Just cause I happen to be a dog myself doesn't mean you should be stereotypical about it, sayin' that all dogs worldwide love the smell of stink."

The two animals were still inhaling the stench of Lily's smelly diaper, wafting the air to clear it once more before Charles walked over to the baby, slightly lifting her up from the floor as he stood on his hind two legs.

"Hurry dog, just change the kid's diaper already!"

"The stuff's upstairs in her room though if I'm gonna change her!"

"Then let's go, before it gets worse!"

 _Another Ten Minutes Later_

Upstairs in the hallway, Cliff was waiting on the outside of the door of Lily's room, while Charles was struggling on the other side of the door, taking his sweet time trying as hard as he can to attempt to change Lily's diaper without any kind of complications whatsoever.

"How ya doin' in there, dog?" Cliff asked in concern.

"S'all goin' great, cat!" Charles nervously responded.

"I think I got it!"

Cliff gets his hopes up.

"Really?" He said as the situation met its conclusion, the door opened up with Lily walking out into the hallway completely in the nude. Her face covered in spots of baby powder now, still omitting a foul smell from filling up her diaper before Charles popped his head out the door, sighing as he failed to get the job done himself.

"...I don't got it." The dog admitted.

"Clearly. She still stinks too!"

Charles hesitated, scratching his head as he was thinking up of an alternate plan to clean little Lily up and completely draw out her stink before he hatched up the idea.

"Well cat, looks like we gotta try plan B." He suggested.

"Grab a bar of soap, rag and a bucket and meet me outside while I go after the kid!"

The dog ran out of the room, chasing the baby as he held a clean diaper in his mouth before Cliff made a break into the bathroom to obtain the cleaning supplies.

In the kitchen, the sitter was still on her phone, chatting along with her bestie on the other line as she was looking for a baby bottle for Lily to drink from. She rifled through the pantry, eventually finding one way in the back, grabbing hold of the object as she untwisted the top with the side of her thumb, filling the cup with formula before heading back into the vacant living room, where Lily was nowhere to be found in the interior as she jumped, dropping the bottle as it hit the carpet floor below.

"Girl, I'ma have to call you back." she reacted with tranquil fear as she ended her call.

"Great goodness, what have I done?!"

Her fear of something going wrong was clear as her voice started to crack, building up her anxiety before she attempted to find her, calling out to the baby as she searched all over the house, starting with the room that she's currently inside at the very moment.

"Lily... where are you?! Ohhh, I'm gonna get in so much trouble..."

She stood still for a second as she caught a whiff of something in the air.

"Why does it smell in here all of a sudden?"

Outside next to the doghouse, Charles hooked up a garden house with a naked Lily sitting next to the intelligent animal by his side, still giggling with joy as it rocked back and forth before Cliff joined him outside with the supplies he was commanded to obtain to do the job, setting them down in front of the two.

"Okay dog, here's the stuff."

"Great work, cat." Charles said, placing the hose inside the bucket along with a bar of soap before turning on the hose as it blasted inside the container, filling up the big bucket up with clear water.

"So, might I ask exactly why we're givin' the kid a bath out in the warm outdoors?"

"Doggy doggy!" Lily uttered, patting the white canine on the back.

"Two answers to that: Beats makin' a noticeable mess inside the house, and that I needed some fresh air after attemptin' to change her. I also took the time to crack open a window to let some of the stink out."

Cliff hesitated for a small amount of seconds, before making another suggestion.

"Well, can't we just lick her clean, like how a mother cat does with their kin?"

"Um... cat, listen to yerself for a little bit and you'll soon realize why we're not gonna be doin' that suggestion."

Cliff thought about the words he just uttered to himself, soon came a realization that there's a little flaw in the plan.

"Oh..." The cat uttered in disgust.

The bucket was filled to the rim with suds now, water leaking out from top of the container. The two pets were ready to freshen up and obliterate Lily's stench, but not before Charles went back to turn off the hose.

"Ready, cat?" He said to Cliff.

"Toss the rag." The cat responded as the dog grabbed the rag from the green grass, tossing it over to the cat.

He dipped the rag into the bucket of suds before pulling it back out, applying a soft force on top of the young naked infant, lathering her head in suds as they started spreading to her back. As it lasted for about half of a minute, Lily squinted her eyes, as she not only was trying to make her no suds get into her eyes, but also rather confused as to what the animals were doing to her, unknowing that they were just trying to take care of her hygiene.

"Poo poo?" She uttered.

Charles started sniffing her all around, finding out if she still smelled musky to the two pets. Turns out, the soap did draw some of the stink out of the baby.

"It's workin' cat! Keep at it while I start the hose up again!"

As the cat still lathered the naked infant, he started thinking about the teenage babysitter, who's still inside the house.

"I wonder what that lady's doin' in there..."

"Forget her."

"Kitty?" Lily uttered in confusion.

Back inside the house, the teenage babysitter grew more afraid as she walked around in circles, thinking about what type of horrible things that might've happened to baby Lily.

"Oh, where could she be? I've looked all around the first story of this house and no luck! No possible way she could be outside, not a single door was open!"

She prepared herself to check upstairs, spewing out some motivational choice words to get her in gear.

"Alright, If she's not down here, she might be upstairs. Don't you worry, Lily! I'll find you... eventually. I hope..."

She ascended up the stairs, walking through the hallway as she prepared to enter the room at the end of the hallway, starting with Lincoln's claustrophobic room.

Back outside, Cliff was still lathering the baby with a satisfied smile as his reaction, now covered in soapy suds from top to bottom all around.

"Alright, guess I'm done bathin' the kid." He said, confident with the result of his deed. Charles brought the hose to the two, preparing to spray the suds off of her body.

"Great work, cat. Now time for the rinse cycle!" He said.

The dog closed his eyes as he turned on the hose, water blasting out with an intermediate pressure which endured for a couple of seconds before shutting the hose off, reducing he pressure to just a few drops per second as the happy canine opened up his eyes.

"All clean!" He said before realizing that he missed little Lily completely, instead accidentally showering the now wet and unamused Cliff. Lily was laughing again now, clapping her hands as the soaked cat himself stared blankly into his eyes, before he bluntly gestured his paw towards the giggling infant.

"Oopsie! Sorry 'bout that!" The dog blushed with a sheepish smile, barely showing his teeth.

He started the hose back up again, the pressure soft enough to just wash the suds off the front. Cliff grabbed Lily by the side, flipping her so the water can her the remaining spots of suds from her backside. After a few seconds passed, Charles shut the water off.

The dog walked over to the soaked baby, sniffing her all around once again as she had absolutely no idea what the animals were doing before he gave his stamp of approval.

"Aha! She doesn't stink anymore!" He said, inhaling the stench of the aromatic soap they used on the child.

"Ahh, smells like her ol' self again."

"Yeah, that's nice. Next I suppose you'd wanna put that nose of yours on her-"

"But, we don't have much time, cat. Help me get this diaper on the kid."

Cliff lifted Lily up in the air, holding her stationary as Charles slipped her little feet in the holes of the diaper, pulling them up to her waist as he made sure they wouldn't fall off of her before he set her back down on the grass.

"What have we accomplished so far? You got the list on youse, cat?"

"Yeah." The cat responded, whipping out the list along with a writing utensil, crossing out the items that they have completed together as he read them aloud. Lily made an attempt to waddle away from the two pets to the back side of the house, but Charles was quick on her tail to thwart her unpredictable plans, biting down on the tip of the puffy diaper to prevent her from getting away from the animals.

"So far, we've changed a dirty diaper and kept her clean, along with keeping her outta harm's way. All that's left now is ta just feed her."

"That's... g-great, cat!" Charles responded, still holding the tip of Lily's diaper as it would soon start to slightly sag, exposing a good portion of her smooth baby butt an inch or two away from the dog, widening his eyes as he thought it'd be just enough to make him let go of her diaper, giving little Lily a chance to escape their grasp as it started to slightly tear. Cliff noticed Charles' awkward situation as he wondered what to do from this point onward to rectify the problem.

"Cat! Help!"

Cliff walked over to a giggling Lily, laying down in front of her before Charles put his face on her clean backside, pushing her up on top of the cat, before he got up on all of his fours, giving sweet little Lily another pet ride.

"Kitty, up!" Lily giggled.

They headed to the back together, ascending up the porch steps and having Charles himself enter through the doggy door to open the door for Cliff and Lily to enter, closing the door from behind the two.

 _Yet Another Ten Minutes Later_

Back inside, the anxious teenager had checked through all the rooms in the upstairs hallway, getting so close to breaking down crying trying her absolute hardest to try to find the baby in the house.

" _Why is this happening to me?! I've searched every inch and corner of the second story, and no baby!_ "

She felt like she wanted to cry from this very moment, but she had to be strong and fight the tears, as she wanted to be filled with determination to prove that she can handle her job as being a babysitter.

"No Miles, you need to be strong!" she mumbled under her voice, as she proceeded to descend down the stairs into the living room, before attempting the give the first floor another shot to see if luck would be on her side this time.

"There's only an hour left, I can't throw this all away now... I'll try the kitchen again I guess."

As she entered the interior of the kitchen, luck was finally on her side again as she found baby Lily riding on top of Cliff, drinking from her sippy cup with Charles sitting next to the duo.

"Oh m'gosh! There you are!"

She took in a deep breath, exhaling in great relief as she walked over to the animals, grabbing little Lily off of the cat.

"I was so worried about you Lily! You shouldn't run off like that, you could get hurt!" she said, before Lily belched loudly.

"Now, let me see if those rambunctious animals caused you any harm..."

"Doggy...? Kitty...?"

Charles growled to the teenager again in protest, with Cliff just sitting there watching this little situation go down.

"Quit your growling at me, okay?" She uttered, taking a step back from the mad dog.

"Just stay right where you are, and leave us be!"

The teenager walked out of the kitchen, making her way into the living room as she sat down on the surface of the couch again, setting little Lily on the carpet floor in front of her, now feeling a little sad as she was about to shed a tear or two as she wanted to continue playing with the two animals, despite not knowing what they were doing with her, she had fun.

"No no no, please don't cry! You'll be okay."

Salt water tears started streaming down the baby's face as she threw her head down, sniffling for a while as a little bit of remorse and sympathy started to overcome the babysitter, trying to do anything she can the cheer little Lily up and stop those waterworks of hers. The pets crept over to the edge of the dining room that leads to the living room, overhearing the situation with the two girls as Cliff whipped out the list from earlier today, crossing out the only thing left to do off of the list.

"What does she think she's doin' now?" Charles quietly muttered to Cliff in anger as he's trying not to draw any attention to them before bringing his head back behind the dining room wall.

"We gotta think of somethin' ta get that cryin' kid back, away from that lady!"

The babysitter hatched up a little story about her experiences about animals to tell Lily in hopes to get her to stop the crying.

"How about I tell you a little story?" The babysitter suggested, causing Lily to pause her crying session for a brief moment.

"...Poo poo?" Lily uttered, sniffling as she fighting her tears.

"Yeah." She answered with a smile.

The two pets peeked into the living room, observing the sitter telling a little story to Lily.

"Nothin' bad I suppose..." Cliff mumbled to Charles.

"Ya also need ta shower as well."

"Would ya quit sniffin' me back there?"

"Sorry, force of habit."

The babysitter heard some noises as she looked around trying to find where they were coming from, but not before the Cliff got stealthy and hid back behind the dining room hall.

The sounds had stopped, and the sitter resumed her bond with Lily, preparing the story for her to listen to.

"Did you know back when I was just a kid, I was very afraid of dogs? I had a bit of a rough experience with them, no pun intended. It's just that one time, I tried to play with one of the dogs at my neighbors house that he swore was real friendly, and not very aggressive towards anybody."

"...Doggy?" Lily uttered to the sitter.

"Yep. It was all going just fine... until out of nowhere, he sank his sharp teeth right in my arm. Caught me by surprise, because I did not see that coming at all. I had to go down to the hospital to get my bleeding arm checked out, and it left me with a visible scar that I'll have to live with for the rest of my life. Because of that horrifying incident alone, my parents had us relocate to another town, in an duplex apartment where they don't allow any and all common house pets for the safety of my behalf. Every time I look at my arm, the memory still haunts me like the living nightmare it is now. Not only that, between you and me, I secretly didn't want this babysitting job as I was sentenced to community service by my father over something I didn't agree with. All I really wanted was to just go out into the city and have some fun, hang with my gals at the mall and participate in all the sales they got going on and stuff..."

Charles started feeling sad and remorseful for growling at her twice today, throwing his canine head down in shame as he just now learned her little backstory.

"Oh no..."

"Dog. Did ya hear that?" Cliff asked.

"Yeah, I sure did." Charles answered.

"Now I know why she's been tryin' ta avoid us the past couple of times... what are we gonna do? I feel so bad for her now."

Cliff _literally_ put on his thinking cap for a minute before he unequipped the cap, hatching an idea!

"Okay! Here's what we're gonna do." He said, before grabbing onto Charles' head, whispering in his ear for a brief moment.

 _Yet Another... Okay, this gag is getting boring now._

Back in the living room, The sitter just finished her little backstory to tell to a happy, babbling Lily Loud, clapping her hands as she rocked back and forth.

"...Well, that's the story about my experience I guess." The sitter chuckled.

"I'm very sorry that I left you alone on the couch. It was a rookie mistake, and I promise that I will not let it happen again. Can you please forgive me, Lily?"

Lily stared blankly at the sitter before she responded neutrally with little hesitation.

"Poo poo."

A few seconds of laughter later, her cell phone picked up a notification. She whipped out her device to check her notification. It was a text message from an unknown number.

She was confused as to who was the sender of the text, but curious to try and figure it out, she started to read the text aloud to herself, becoming more and more fixated as she looked at her phone.

 ** _Hey you!_**

 ** _We're really sorry to hear about your arm back when you were just a child. But, you must remember that you shouldn't judge all dogs because of what one dog has done to you. Dogs have been a human's best friend for a very long time and they always will be forever. Not all dogs are the same you know, all they really want is some love and affection from anyone willing to offer it to them. But, we will let you know that this dog here likes you very much and wants to play with you, and he makes a promise to never attack you or anybody else out there in the world. We hope you can understand!_**

 ** _XOXO~_**

After finishing off the last bit of the text message, she looked up from her phone to find good ol' Charles, sitting obediently in front of the teenager, wagging his tail as he smiled at her before sticking out his tongue, happily panting. She was really confused now, still trying to connect the pieces together on what exactly was going on.

He slowly walked toward her, putting his head under the palm of her dangling unoccupied hand as he moved it around, presumably wanting her to pet him. She responded with gentle strokes to the dog's head with a small smile, as he stopped moving around to enjoy the comfortable and soothing feeling to his furry canine head.

"You're... a good dog..." She nervously uttered, worried that she might experience the same horrid pain again ages ago.

Charles tried a little something to sooth her assumed fear of dogs. He tried telling her that he loves her, but she didn't get what the dog said at first.

"Oh, you're trying to tell me something?" she said.

Charles walked over in front of the girl, sitting down on his rump on the carpet before speaking once more.

"Arf-ruff-roo!" Charles said, loud and clear. The sitter managed to understand this time.

"You... love me?" She said to Charles, before he nodded his head in response.

"Aww, that's so sweet. And I thought you didn't like me at first."

She smiled and chuckled to herself.

Cliff walked over and rubbed against her legs, purring as it shared its energy with her, but not before she got up to tickle little Lily sitting next to the happy canine as she giggled and laughed.

The door knob to the front door twisted open. It was Rita and Lynn Sr., satisfied from the movie and the lunch they had together as they walked in, observing the babysitter having a good time with Lily while Cliff rubbed his head on the sitter's legs as Charles smiled on and watched.

"We're back!" The parents said in unison.

"Oh! I assume everything went pretty well." The sitter responded, pausing her play session with Lily.

"Believe it or not, it did... for once." Rita said looking to her husband.

"How was everything while we're gone?" Lynn Sr. asked.

"Not a problem at all! It was like cakewalk." The sitter quickly responded, with no hesitation to show.

"That's great, now you're free to go on home, missy."

The sitter's ride just arrived at the house, sighing in relief before she headed for the front door, twisting the knob to open it.

"Thanks for this opportunity!" She said to the parents, before turning to Lily, Cliff and Charles, waving at them.

"Bye, Lily! I guess I'll see you soon!"

She exited the door, closing the door from behind before the parents went into their room to change, closing the door from behind them, leaving the two animals and the baby out in the living room.

The two pets of the household looked to each other, giving low fives before walking over to a smiling Lily.

"Kitty! Doggy!" She giggled, rocking back and forth.

Cliff sat next to the kid, petting her on the head with a smile as Charles gave her a lick on the face before he rubbed his face with her face with happy, satisfied smiles as Lily giggled and laughed.

* * *

 _ **~End~**_


	6. Silent, But Dreadly

_Story 5: Silent, But Dreadly_

* * *

3:20 pm

It's a partially cloudy Wednesday afternoon down in Royal Woods, Michigan, with light gray skies with a pretty humid temperature. Lincoln and Lynn Sr. entered into the living room as they carried paper bags inside, making a father-son discussion about a brand new item they recently purchased down at the pet store earlier in the day. They spent a good amount of cash on a dog whistle that was on sale for approximately thirty three percent off its base price of twelve dollars and ninety five cents, along with some treats for the four family pets to sink their teeth into at a reasonable, yet affordable price. Charles was sleeping right on the blue family couch, getting more and more comfortable as his canine body warmed up the surface of the cushions he has direct contact with.

"Now son, things are gonna be a bit different here starting today." The father figure stated loud and clear. "Remember that this particular whistle must only be used whenever Charles or Cliff start to misbehave in the house."

"Oh, really?" Lincoln asked.

"Yes. All you need to do-"

"Okay Dad, I'm pretty sure I know how a whistle works."

The titular white-haired boy took deep breaths in, before inserting the whistle between his lips, blowing on it, only to not hear anything coming out of the item. It was nothing but total, dead silence, but an high pitched ultrasonic sound started to befell Charles. He was suddenly disturbed from his afternoon nap, to the point where he immediately opened up his canine eyelids without any noticeable hesitation in his reaction as he jumped up to all his fours. The subtle sound of the whistle assaulted the white dog's eardrums, lasting only a second before it went away. Charles was understandably confused, albeit a little mad in the slightest that it just happened out of nowhere as if it was some sort of jumpscare appearing directly out of the blue before the dog proceeded to audibly respond to the situation.

"Aroo?!"

Another second later, some more chatter resumed again between the two men in the household, but not before Charles laid back down on the couch in an annoyed motion to try and get a couple more minutes of sleep in for the middle of the day.

"Remember son, only if he's misbehaving."

"I understand you loud and clear, Dad."

"Alright, I'm gonna go into the kitchen and whip us up some lunch."

"Thank goodness, I'm starving! I had to miss out on the lunch in school because of the disgusting food they were serving today in the cafeteria."

The middle child of the household, walked over to the family couch just before sitting on it, petting the tired dog on the head with intermediate force. He was already disturbed by a sudden, yet subtle sound of the dog whistle that pounded his canine eardrums, he wasn't willing to let anything else do him the same way as he was desperate to nap in peace right there on the blue couch.

"Hey, Charles!" He said, just before the canine himself quietly growled to him in response. Lincoln stared down blankly at him, hesitating for a bit as he thought he was disturbing the white dog's peace before he rose up from the soft cushions of the couch, giving Charles some space and more importantly, quiet. "Oookay, I'll leave you to... whatever you like to dream about I guess."

Lincoln suddenly hummed as he made his way upstairs, walking all the way down to his slightly tight little room on the end of the hallway, curious as to why the whistle in the palms of his hand was unable to emit a single notable sound when blown into.

"That's strange." Lincoln thought to himself, gyrating the item around. "Did we really just pay eight dollars and sixty seven cents for a broken whistle?"

The pre-teen inhaled again through his mouth, blowing with a little more force on the tip of the whistle this time, with no audible sound being emitted.

Back downstairs, the ultrasonic sound of the whistle befelled the canine's ears yet again, disturbing his peace as he started squinting his eyes tighter for each second he tried to endure through the sudden annoyance of the whistle. It felt like it was utter torture to his delicate ears. He didn't do anything to deserve such a thing like this, but one more second later, he had enough.

Charles awakened from his disturbed slumber, feeling angry with determination and ready to fight back as he softly growled. But first, the canine would first respond with a little bit of a petty, yet disproportionate retribution from the shear annoyance of that whistle. As Cliff walked into the living room alongside with Geo by his side, he closed his eyes, lifting up one of his hind legs, followed by showering one of the blue couch cushions with his warm urine immediately after.

The cat looked upwards, staring directly into the eyes of the mischievous canine just as he was about to lower his hind leg down after relieving himself out of revenge, causing his anxiety to quickly skyrocket as he opened his eyes, noticing the cat looking rather fixated at the scene. He hesitated for a small beat before nervously speaking to the two of them, all the while drooping his ears down.

"Oh... um... I can explain."

Cliff and Geo shared a confused glance at each other before looking back over to the dog.

"Please do." Cliff responded, massaging one of his ears due to the silent whistle being heard earlier for the two house pets.

"Wait a sec." Charles said, noticing the cat's action. "Ya heard it too, cat?"

"If you're talkin' about that high pitched sound, then yeah."

"Huh? What high pitched sound?" Geo asked.

"It's annoyin' as all livin' heck!" Charles seriously stated, putting more anger into every word he uttered. "That sound has disturbed my nap more than once so far and I've had enough!"

"Yeah same here, dog." Cliff agreed, before he offered a simple suggestion to get to the bottom of the situation. "What say we find where that annoyin' sound's comin' from, and we destroy that caper once and fer all?"

"I was honestly thinkin' of the exact same thing, cat! This is actually more annoyin'... no, _infuriatin'_ than the day that one girl pinned her fartin' on me!"

* * *

 _Few weeks back, the slightly irate social media teenage girl Lori Loud walked down the hallway, whistling as she slipped past the sleeping dog. As she got to the staircase, she looked around the interior to check if she's in the clear, lift her leg into position, clenching her fists as she brought them up to her chest, before she ripped one right there on top of the stairs as she took one step down them to imitate a creaking stair step to make her fart sound more subtle, quickly sighing in relief. It was clearly a short and sudden one, causing Charles to wake up startled, almost immediately the second the sound of her farting befelled the canine beast. He looked to his left and right, trying to figure out where that noise of Lori's farting came from before the stench became overwhelming to almost half of the upstairs hallway. Before the seventeen-year-old could continue walking down the stairs, Lynn Jr. emerged from her bedroom door, plugging her nose up with her hand as she confronted the oldest sibling in the house, causing her to pause her movement._

 _"Whoa Lori, nasty!"_

 _Lori was not gonna go down for this one. She was quick to find somebody, or rather some animal to put the blame on to cover up the truth as she wouldn't have the guts to take responsibility for letting one slide a few seconds ago._

 _"It was the steps!" she said, as Lana also emerged from her bedroom door._

 _"Pretty sure it wasn't." Lana rebutted._

 _"Then it was... Charles!" She quickly pointed at the innocent dog, as he was quick to realize who the true caper was before he glared at her, straight in her eyes as he softly growled, due to her sudden hesitated accusation. Lynn Jr. walked over to the dog, petting him on the head as she was willing enough to praise him as she smiled, instead of telling him off. He was confused now, he didn't know what to do._

 _"Nice one, Charles!"_

 _Lana sighed. "Oh sure, blame it on the dog."_

* * *

"We're gonna put a stop to this!"

Geo was growing concerned, albeit rather perplexed as to what the dog and the cat were talking about. "You guys, don't you think this a bit too much for something like this? Or... whatever we're talking about?"

Cliff and Charles shared a glance before they answered the brown coated hamster, together in unison.

"No."

Geo sighed as Walt flew in the living room, landing nest to the hamster. "Oh, come on now..."

"I feel that this lil' plan of ours is totally warranted." Cliff seriously stated, crossing his feline paws in a blunt motion. "There is absolutely nothin' in this world that's gonna make us have second thoughts."

"...What are we talking about?" Walt asked before pointing out the wet, warm couch. "How come the couch is all wet now all of a sudden? Did one of you have another accident?"

"How 'bout ya ask the dog there, bird?" Cliff answered, subtly hinting and motioning his paw towards the canine, still with crossed paws as Charles looked into the eyes of a snitch, squinting his eyes as he didn't like to be the center of attention due to the black cat's little accusations. The pets didn't even utter a single word for a brief moment before Walt made a nice little attempt to keep their conversation going, and it did not fail.

"Again... what are we talking about here?"

"What's going on?" Geo added.

Charles was quick to answer the yellow canary's curious little question.

"I'll give ya the short version so we can save us some time: Some high pitched sound's annoyin' me and the cat, and we're gonna get to the bottom of it."

"As soon as we find out where that noise is comin' from, we gonna give that thing what for!" Cliff added in determination.

Geo and Walt glanced at each other in understandable confusion, as they have no idea what noise they were yapping on about before reacting to the two pets with little hesitance.

"Huh?"

The four family pets heard some footsteps coming down the stairs before they all turned their undivided attention to whoever was descending down to the first floor of the household. In this case, it was Lincoln, still not knowing about the whistle actually emitting a sound that only some animals can hear was almost convinced that they've wasted close to ten dollars for a broken whistle.

"Hey dad, I should've mentioned this earlier but I'm coming to this conclusion that this whistle we bought is broken."

"What? How can it be broken already?" The father figure answered from the kitchen as he was still preparing something to eat for a father-son afternoon snack.

"Like, it's not making any kind of sound at all. It's pretty strange. Listen..."

The white-haired eleven-year-old boy inhaled through his mouth again, blowing on the tip of the whistle again, with the same exact result the last time he blew the whistle from upstairs in his room. The cat and the dog found out where that annoying sound was coming from all along. The dog whistle emitted a high and pitchy sound that only Charles and Cliff could hear, but not Lincoln and his dad. It filled their ears with absolute torture, causing the two animals to cover their ears as the dog reacted with a serious howl while a confused Walt and Geo looked from side to side a few times, looking at Lincoln and back at the two pets as they were trying to piece together what was going on so they'll at least have a better understanding from the pain the canine and the feline were going through at the very moment.

Lincoln stopped blowing on the whistle as soon as he heard Charles' unexpected howling to his right side, shifting his attention to the four pets while Lynn Sr. responded to the kid regarding the whistle they got from the pet store before looking back to his other side. "Oh, that's because that whistle we bought is a _silent_ whistle. We can't hear any noises that it makes but Charles and Cliff can as the ultrasonic sound provokes their attention as you blow on the whistle. But let me reiterate once again, only use it when they're misbehaving as it is mostly used for training purposes only. You can't abuse that thing all willy nilly now, or you might certainly annoy them without even knowing!"

The dog and the cat stared the boy down in the process, glaring at his face more every second that passes to the point where they started growling to show how annoyed they were at the pre-teen violating their ears with the subtle sound of the whistle.

"Oh, I see now. Okay!" Lincoln said, finally piecing together how to use the item responsibly before ascending back up the stairs as he had the whistle in his lips, softly blowing through the whistle, emitting soft ultrasonic sounds as it faded out as he reached the top, heading down the hallway again into his room.

The pets were in the clear now. The canine and the feline were sighing in relief as they managed to catch a break from having to hear that annoying sound. The two animals, fixated their attention to Walt and Geo, irritated and more determined than ever to put their devious plan into action as soon as they get the chance.

"You two noticed that whistle the boy's handlin'?" Charles said.

"That's what's makin' those annoyin' sounds!" Cliff added, pointing up the stairs.

"Really? You're gonna be mad at the boy over playing with some dumb little toy?" Walt said.

"I still couldn't hear anything..." Geo mumbled under his breath, looking towards Walt.

"Yeah, me either."

Charles grabbed hold of the hamster's clear ball while Cliff got up in the canary's face.

"You don't even know how it feels, Ham!"

"You don't have the same kind of hearin' me 'n the dog have! It's torture, a pet's worst nightmare! It's the opposite of heavenly peace!"

"Wait, wasn't thunderclaps your worst nightmare..?" Geo thought.

"No, it's not!" Charles and Cliff said to the hamster.

Silence took place between the pets for a little while, just before Charles and Cliff walked over to the first step of the staircase, growing more irritated with every step.

"Like I said before, we're gonna go put a stop ta this." The dog said.

"Okay, if that's what you really want, go right ahead." Walt replied with an unamused look, flapping his wings in midair before the two animals made their way up the steps, but not before he sighed from that disproportionate remark, or so he thinks.

"You know, even if we could have the same kind of hearing as the dog or the cat, I'm sure it wouldn't sound that bad..." Geo quietly wondered, before Walt replied to the hamster with half of a shrug. "Eh."

Upstairs in the hallway, Cliff and Charles looked all around the place, before they slowly snuck their way towards the bedroom door of Lincoln's room. They listen in, trying to figure out what the boy was doing before they both glanced at each other, angrily nodding in unison before the dog made his move into the room as the cat laid down on the floorboards, pretending to take a nap.

Back downstairs, the father figure of the house called his son down for a late afternoon lunch with him as he set foot into the living room with the food on slightly soaked dishes, heading over to the blue couch.

"Hey Lincoln, the late afternoon lunch is ready! Come on down so we can enjoy it while we watch a family friendly movie!"

As he was about to take a seat, he noticed the couch was soaked in dog urine from earlier in the day. He stared at the furniture for a second, wondering how that could've happened, before he groaned in understandable irritation now that he had to clean it off first before he could eat with his son.

"Gosh dang it!" He said as he set the food on the table in front of him before he walked back into the kitchen to get some cleaning supplies. "One day, that dog's gonna learn to quit marking his territory on this furniture. The next time he does it, it's whistle time for him!"

Lincoln was in his room doing the only habit he knows best, reading quality comic books in his tighty-whities to pass some time. Charles took note of this, as he crept in front of his dresser and sat there before the pre-teen himself suddenly finished reading the penultimate page of the comic he was reading, jumping back into his clothes as he noticed the dog's sudden appearance in front of him before exiting his bedroom fully clothed as the devious canine watched.

"Hey Charles! Coming dad!"

As soon as the dog was completely certain that the coast was completely in the clear, he began to rifle throughout the room, going under the bed and through the compartment of the dresser, searching around for that dreaded whistle.

"Tee shirts... socks... underwear... remind myself to chew through some of those later."

It lasted only a brief period of time, seemed like forever to the canine animal. Cliff walked in the room, curious about the progress, but not before he observed the slight mess Charles made in the room.

"Any luck, dog?" He asked.

Charles turned to the cat, answering without missing a beat. "Not a lick, cat."

"Well it's clearly not in the kid's clothing that's for sure."

The cat whipped out the silent whistle that he somehow managed to get his feline paws on, leaving an understandable confused reaction on the dog.

"Huh?! How did ya get that?"

"Wasn't hard. It was stickin' outta the boy's pocket and I took it when he stopped to bend down tyin' his shoelaces."

Charles stood silent, staring at the cat and the whistle before shaking his head, returning his focus to their devious little plan as he glanced over to the audience.

"Well that was quicker than I thought, also a bit anti-climactic," He said before turning back to the cat, snatching the whistle from his paws. "Now that we have this livin' nightmare, it's time ta destroy it!"

Charles grabbed a hold of the whistle, both paws on each side, grunting and struggling to attempt to break the metal item in half, only to give up about a few seconds in.

"I was thinkin' we should just bury it and be done with it." Cliff suggested, but the dog was quick to decline the cat's idea.

"Nah cat, one of the kids'll eventually find it again, especially the one with the red hat."

"Wait a sec, how do you know the color of the kid's hat?" The cat questioned as if he had some kind of point. "Aren't we color blind, seein' the world as black 'n white all over?"

"No time for potential questions. We've got to get rid of this thing."

Charles grabbed ahold of the item with his mouth as if it was a brand new bone he has yet to taste before walking out of the tight room and into the hallway as Cliff stayed put, trying to grab the dog's attention as he forgot to do something.

"Wait dog, what about the mess ya made?" The cat questioned.

"You take care of that!" The dog replied.

The cat looked back inside the messy room, clothes scattered over the floors, including socks, pants and underwear. He sighed as he slightly threw his head down, drooping his feline ears before he took action, grabbing hold of the pair of socks as he opened one of the drawers to throw them in.

"...Oh I sure hope none of those tighty whities have been used."

The determined dog of the house entered the bathroom, lifting up the lid of the toilet seat as he spit out the whistle into the toilet water below.

 _Sploosh._

He glared down at the item as it started to release trapped air bubbles from the blow holes it had.

"Alright... I'm sorry it's come down ta this... but it _must_ be done!" He said. He grabbed onto the toilet handle, pulling it down. The toilet water swirled around the bowl, along with the whistle before it flushed down the drain, never to be seen again.

It was over, the deed was done now as Charles sighed in relief, brushing his canine paws off with a smile.

"Finally. I'm free from that evil soundin' whistle." He said as if he was satisfied with what he'd done before exiting the bathroom. "Peaceful nap, here I come again!"

Cliff jumped in front of the dog, hatching a heel realization regarding the whistle. "Wait dog, I just had a terrifyin' thought."

"What is it?" The dog questioned out of curiosity.

"That whistle of theirs doesn't look that expensive at all. I mean, what's gonna stop them from buyin' another one?"

Charles gulped in fear as he hesitated on an answer. "Oh yeah, I hadn't thought about that."

Cliff scratched his head. "What are we gonna do?" The dog came to a small, yet simple suggestion. He pulled out two sets of ear muffs from behind his back, one in each paw. Cliff hesitated to agree as he stared down the two ear muffs. "Yeah, I guess that could work..?"

 _The Next Day - 9:30 am_

Charles and Cliff yawned in their sleep, finally getting the peace and quiet they wanted since yesterday afternoon. Lincoln rushed down the stairs, calling out to the father figure of the house for something all the while in a rather concerned tone.

"Hey dad?"

"Yeah Lincoln?"

"I can't seem to find that whistle we bought yesterday! I look all around for it upstairs so I could train Charles as we were going to take a walk later on today and-"

The father figure pulled out another silent whistle that he bought without his knowledge. "Not to worry son! I bought a spare!"

The two animals predicted this would happen a mile away. They were quick to act as they had muffs equipped to each other on their furry ears to block out most of the surrounding sounds around them, possibly even the ultrasound. Lynn Sr. inhaled deeply, before he blew with intermediate force, emitting a rather different sound that lasted for a brief period of seconds.

Charles and Cliff could still hear it's noise even with the muffs on their ears, but it turns out to be not as serious or irritating as it was with the other dog whistle they managed to get rid of. They were understandably confused, both glancing at each other as they wondered why the whistle sounded real different than they thought the first time before the father of the house was short of breath as he stopped blowing on the item.

Lincoln was satisfied with the design of the whistle that he was determined enough to not let this one out of his sight.

"Awesome! Thanks dad!" The boy said.

"Now sport, I will mention that this was the last one they had in the store. So you better not lose it!" The father warned, before he headed out the front door to proceed to do his business.

"Don't worry, I won't!"

Lynn Sr. closed the door from behind before Lincoln walked back upstairs to get a couple things ready so he could take the dog out for a walk later in the day.

"Now where did I put that leash?"

As soon it was quiet again back in the living room where the two animals were barely awake, they both sighed together in relief.

"Y'know cat, at least it's not as annoyin' as that other whistle those humans had the other day."

"Yeah... that wasn't as bad as I thought it would turn out ta be." Cliff yawned.

"Well, at least we can get a bit of peace after all we've went through."

"Thanks heavens for that."

The two fell back asleep, dreaming peacefully about what they do best: dancing in the rain and mud.

* * *

 **~End~**


	7. Magic Kit

_Story 6: Magic Kit (short)_

* * *

1:30pm

It was a rather gloomy Thursday down in Royal Woods, Michigan. The rain was somewhat heavy for a brief period of time before the weather actually managed to calm down a few seconds in.

Upstairs in Luna and Luan's room was Cliff the cat, exploring the interior of their bedroom in spite of his shear boredom of nothing to do to keep him occupied for a while. He had a ball of yarn to play with, but he unsurprisingly grew tired of it after playing with the toy for a good quarter hour. The cat walked over to Luna's purple guitar, laying one of his paws on the strings as he stroked them to emit a rather dissonant chord.

The sound of the notes did not seem to satisfy the quiet feline as he stared the instrument down in disappointment with a soft sigh, before he walked away from it and to Luan's side of the room without uttering a single sound. He looked around Luan's belongings for quite a while, up until his sights soon became fixated on a magician's hat, along with a wand resting directly beside said item.

"Ooh, such interestin' attire the girl's got here."

Cliff inspected the accessory, observing it's appearance right in front of him as he rested his paw on the tip of the magical hat.

"Quite fancy lookin', I gotta admit."

As the curious feline decided to take a quick peek inside of the hat, Luan's white hare popped out from inside, startling him as he jumped back a few inches from his sudden appearance before telling off the confused hare sitting inside the hat in front of him.

"Hey now, would ya mind not doin' that? I'm not used ta gettin' all surprised like that."

The rabbit twitched his nose around, staring intently at anything in his sight as he started gathering some information before he responded back to the cat.

"Oh, sorry there pal. Had no idea you weren't used to surprises!" Gary said, with a sheepish little smile. "Say uh, you know where I can grab some carrots around here? The girl done ran out up here just last night."

"Somewhere downstairs in the kitchen I guess." Cliff answered as the rabbit hopped out of Luan's hat, hopping over to the entrance of their room before he exited the bedroom to head downstairs. The shear curiosity of the black feline influenced him to lift up the magic wand, staring at it for some time before he waved it around the air.

"Hmm..." The cat uttered before he made the tip of the wand make direct contact to the tip of the hat as it poofed up a random item inside, influencing the feline to widen his eyes as he witnessed the awe of magic from the wand he now currently has a grip on. He let out a questionable meow in understandable curiosity as he reached his feline paw into the hat before pulling out the content. It was the same white hare he talked to just a minute prior, only with a carrot to munch on as it clearly satisfied his famishing desires. The cat couldn't utter anything as he was understandably in light shock, as he was confused as to how Gary appeared back into the black hat.

"Mmm. That's a real good carrot!"

Cliff looked to his left and right before he became fixated on the bunny.

"What the...? How did ya-"

Gary swallowed before he interrupted.

"It's a little thing called magic, my silly feline friend. Well thought out tricks to impress your friends. I know that cause I've been with this family for about half a decade."

"That's amazin'," Cliff reacted, eyes slightly widened before he thought of something rather interesting. "Say, ya mind lettin' me borrow that hat?"

Gary replied with no hesitation to show before he delivered a timely wink towards the feline. "You bet! Knock 'em dead."

Cliff looked at him with a soft determinated smile before Gary stopped him to add in another comment to their conversation as he lifted himself out of the hat to show off his backside in front of the feline's confused irises.

"Eh also, someone oughta take control of that dog, he bit me on the tip of my poofy little tail! I'm surprised it wasn't my butt."

He twitched his tail for a second as Cliff grabbed a hold of the white hare, stroking and massaging his backside ever so softly to soothe his pain.

"Don't worry, I'll take care a him. But first, a lil' somethin' for me."

Five Minutes Later

Downstairs, Charles, Geo and Walt all emerged from the dining room and into the living room, sparking up a little conversation between the three of them as they would soon land their haunches on the carpet in front of the blue family couch.

Charles laughed in amusement.

"Boy, you're not gonna believe what I did to that mangy rabbit."

"You ate the poor thing?!" Geo reacted in understandable shock before Charles reacted back, eyes widened as he would sound rather blunt.

"What? No! That's insane!"

"And literally absurd." Walt added.

"I had that little guy runnin', but not before I crashed into some cloth and accidentally ruined a perfectly good birthday cake for the kid's seventh birthday."

The white canine started to chuckle now as some more chatter took place for the three animals before the lights in the living room suddenly went dim. The three pets looked all around the interior, wondering what the heck has happened.

"Uh oh." Charles reacted.

"Hey! What gives?" Walt added.

"Who turned out the lights?" Geo asked in a soft voice. "Did they short out somehow?"

A long pause befelled the surprised animals in absolute silence before they were all greeted with a smoke ball, partially filling the room up with smoke as Charles began coughing with Walt attempts to clear the air as he flew upwards about a couple feet.

Surprise!

As the smoke cleared out, it revealed to be the great feline, standing tall and confident on his two hind legs, wearing Luan's hat as he held a good grip of the wand in his right raw.

"Presto! It is I, the one and only Magicat! Here to impress and entertain my faithful companions since... well, however long it was since we've first met each other."

Charles, Geo and Walt all looked on in confusion for a second before the dog stepped up to ask Cliff a question.

"Uh cat, what's with the jig?" He asked before the canary and the hamster both gestured towards the curious white canine.

"...What? I'm not allowed ta spend a good portion of my time ta prepare a simple act of entertainment for you guys, is that it?"

A brief pause for the three pets took place before the hamster responded to the unamused cat.

"We're not saying you can't. If you want to show us something, then my undivided attention goes all out to you pal!"

The canine and canary both gestured to the hamster in unanimous agreement before it gave Cliff more confidence to pull off his magic.

"Oh, well alrighty then!"

He took off Luan's magic hat as these words read the feline's lips.

"Watch in awe!"

Cliff set the hat down on the wood table in front of him as his smile widened before he waved the magic wand around, soon touching the surface of the bottom of the hat. It poofed up something inside the hat as some smoked emerged from it before the cat stuck his paw inside, pulling out a deck of playing cards.

"Now friends, for my first trick of the day, a simple card trick!"

He spreads them out in his paws, motioning towards the neutral canine without having the cards face upwards.

"Pick a card!"

Charles looked at the cards very carefully, before he took a bite out of the one he selected.

"Give it back." Cliff snatched it out of his salivating mouth. "Alright, time for a little shuffle."

He took several seconds, mixing up the cards as he set them all down on the table, moving them all around the surface as the canine, canary and hamster all observe the awkward act of entertainment, but not before they shared a confused little glance at each other. The cat finished the shuffling process as he gathered up the cards as he straightened them out in a slightly askew but neat stack before he drew the playing card on the top.

"Ain't this your card?" Cliff confidently stated while Charles stared his act down in silence, showing the same card he drew before he reacted with a satisfied little smile.

"Eeyep. That's the one."

"Voila!" Cliff said loud and clear as he bowed down while the three animals showered the feline with applause for a trick well played.

"Ooh! Can you tell our fortunes?" Geo asked out of his shear curiosity.

"Nah, Ham. I'm savin' that for a later story," Cliff answered. "And now, for my second act!"

He waved the wand around the hat this time as the three animals observed the black cat, lasting for a couple of seconds before the tip of the wand made direct contact with the flap of the hat, smoke emerging from the inside of the hat again as the magic feline stuck his paw inside to pull white, red and pink petaled flowers, a set of unused handkerchiefs, and finally Gary the white hare out in the sequential order, with satisfied smiles that sells the satisfaction.

"Presto!"

As Gary laid eyes on the dog that bit the tip of his tail, his eyes quickly started to widen open before gulping in fear. The three pets reacted to the act in awe, until Charles got a good glimpse on the hare before he stared it down with a devious smile, proceeding to get up off of the couch to chase after the animal, happily barking in the process as Gary quickly made a run for it up the stairs and into the hallway.

"Ay dog! Come back here!" Cliff shouted to no avail, but failed to grab the canine's short spanned attention before he facepawed. "Oh boy."

Another Five Minutes Later

Charles was back on the couch now, only with his nose turned slightly red from receiving a door to the face as he softly rubbed on it in shame before he whimpered with Walt and Geo staring the injured dog down. Cliff was a little mad from the incident with the dog but he had to let it go immediately as he was ready to get his final act on the show now, feeling more determined than ever to pull his act off, but not before he could separate Charles away from the frightened bunny to make sure they don't get all roughed up before his show was done.

"Alrighty, for my final act of the day," He whipped out some newspaper and a modified pitcher filled with two percent milk. "Let's make some milk disappear. I call this one, the Vanishin' Liquid!"

Those five words immediately grabbed the attention of the pets sitting on the family couch as they sat back and observed the cat do his magic. He was lightly sweating, but he wasn't going to let anything stop him from doing one of the coolest magic tricks in the Loud House. He folded the piece of newspaper up like a triangular cone, before he did the very next step, carefully pouring the entire white substance inside the newspaper.

The pets were in suspense now, wondering if this trick would be enough to blow them away. The cat waved his paw around the top of the cone for a second or two before he snapped, soon crushing the cone up into a ball of wad without a single drop of the milk gushing out of the paper, leaving the audience of animals completely stumped and dumbstrucked.

The cat stood there proud as he tossed the wad of newspaper off to the side now, currently bowing down to his final act of the afternoon. "Voila," he said as the pets clapped and cheered him on. "Thank you."

"I'm amazed!" Geo commented.

"Very nice. Now I gotta go do something that needs to be taken care of." Walt added before he flew off to the upstairs hallway followed by the hamster shortly after.

Charles walked over to Cliff, congratulating him for a show well put together. "Great stuff you pulled off there Cat," he said, shaking the feline's paw before Gary took a step back away from the dog, eventually getting himself cornered as Charles walked over to him. "Hey you."

Gary was scared to what Charles was going to do now, quivering silently as he looked into the eyes of a mad canine, as it turns out, it was only to make amends. The dog patted him on the head as the hare was acting rather confused now with the sudden change of attitude.

"No hard feelings there, rabbit?"

Gary smiled along before sighing in relief, hopping over into the kitchen as Charles watched. He came back into the living room with a few strips of bacon, waving it in the air to grab the dog's undivided attention. The second Charles laid eyes upon the strips of breakfast meat, he instantly salivated, licking his lips as he followed the white into the kitchen, barked happily as he was presuming to have a little feast with him before it was all quiet in the living room now, with Cliff now sitting back down on his haunches as he glanced over towards the audience with a satisfied smile.

"Well, that's our show. G'night everybody!"

*belch*

Cliff softly blushed.

* * *

 ** _~End~_**


	8. Bone Sweet Bone

_Story 7: Bone Sweet Bone_

* * *

8:00am

A sound of a honking vehicle horn emitted from the driveway of the Loud House.

"Come on, kids! We're gonna be late!"

Yet another week day for the Loud kids as they were all just exiting the house to hitch a ride to school in good ol' Vanzilla for more experiences in learning. From boring mathematics to world history, arts and crafts to exhausting physical education, it can definitely be an overwhelming day for any kid or teen alike.

After the sound of the front door slammed shut, Lynn Sr. emerged from his downstairs bedroom wearing nothing but his robe, carrying his clean attire to the upstairs bathroom to shower for the day, but not before he got a few words in to the white dog, teething on his little bone as he minded his own business. "Oh, hey Charles." he said in a rather half-hearted tone.

Where was he planning to go today, just to get out of the house? Who knows. As long as everything went well, he wouldn't complain about a single thing. The father figure of the house ascended up the stairs at such a normal pace and walked inside the only bathroom in the household, shutting the door from behind before he turned on the water.

Back downstairs, Charles was still teething on the bone he had secured in his paws, caressing it for a brief period of time as the canine passed his tongue over the bone, covering half of the item with his own wet slobber before his stomach started growling out of nowhere.

He paused. That canine belly of his was telling him he's quite famished now. Looks like he was in need to grab a quick bite to eat. "Hoo boy," Charles said. "Time ta check the kitchen for some breakfast."

The white canine walked over to the kitchen, leaving his bone unattended on the green carpet floor as he sniffed around for leftover scraps from this morning's breakfast. "Huh. No luck." He said before he actually considered about going inside the garbage can, popping open the lid and starting digging around.

Cliff and Geo came from behind the unsuspecting dog, calling out to him. "Hey, dog!" the feline said, causing Charles to slip his feet off the handle from being suddenly startled as the open lid of the container quickly slammed down on his canine head. A second passed before he drew his head out of the can, rubbing on the impact of his head right after. The blow wasn't that serious, but anything to sooth down a little head injury.

Charles turned to the smirking cat and hamster confused. "What are you two doin'?"

"Nothin'?" Cliff responded.

"Yep, nothing at all!" Geo added, while Charles looked around the interior of the kitchen for Walt. He was nowhere to be found.

"Where's the bird?" The dog asked before Geo stepped up to give off his answer.

"You know him, always having a fit about something as usual. I think he's probably mad about the backlash he's been getting recently over his birdhouse."

Walt sluggishly flew inside the kitchen interior, muttering his own mind out as the three animals sat there and watched him entering another room. "Bah, who needs them? I don't need those dumb critics telling me about my justified behavior. I clearly had every right to do what I had to do."

A long pause befelled the three pets before one of them spoke again. "Poor bird," Cliff reacted. "Anyway, I see you're uh... lookin' for a little somethin' ta munch on."

Charles stared blankly in the feline's eyes as if he didn't care what he was doing at the moment. "Yeah cat, what of it?"

"There's like a whole bunch of unclean plates and half empty bowls filled with cereal up on that there table," Cliff gestured to the kitchen table. "Thought that might satisfy ya."

The starving dog looked back into the bin for a second before looking back to the table. "Least that's somethin', probably better than this stench."

Five Minutes Later

The family canine of the household temporarily filled up on unfinished cold cereal and strips of bacon as he walked back into the living room. Was it any good he wondered? Probably so. He was an american bulldog, who would savagely eat up just about anything in the house and wouldn't even complain, even tearing through the couch and chewing on some leather.

Just as the dog was planning to resume what he was doing, he was in silent shock. The bone he was munching on was no longer in the same spot as it was before. He didn't even hesitate for a single second of the day as he reacted with total concern.

"My bone!" Charles said, looking around his surroundings, trying to look for it. "Coulda sworn it was sittin' right here!"

Growing more desperate each minute to try and find his delicate bone, he looked around the living room once again before he proceed to rifle through the furniture in hopes for his luck to turn around.

He tried the couch for a brief moment. It wasn't inside the couch cushions or under the piece of furniture anywhere.

"Shoot," he uttered before he tried the rug in front of him, rolling it halfway. "Not there either. Where could it be?!"

Cliff and Geo walked into the living room, catching sight of Charles rifling through the living room furniture. The two wondered what he was doing as they gave confused glances toward each other before calling out to the canine animal.

"Hey dog, what'cha doin' there pal?" Cliff asked before Charles put a pause in his action to walk over to the cat.

"My bone! It's gone missin'!" The dog answered in slight panic. "Have the two of youse seen it?"

"A bone you say?" Cliff said, scratching his feline head. "I don't recall seein' a bone today..."

"Me either," Geo added, slightly tilting his head.

The canine reacted, swinging his paw into a fist in mere disappointment. "Rats! It was a delicious one too."

He grew suspicious, given the feline and hamster's nervous little answers. He barely squinted his canine eyes as he started to interrogate the two confused animals.

"You two had somethin' to do with this, did ya?" he said.

"C'mon dog," Cliff protested. "You really think we'd have the nerve to replace your possession? I mean, nothin's really stoppin' ya from beggin' to those humans if they could getcha another one y'know."

"Yeah!" Geo added in confidence. "I mean, what does this bone even look like?"

"Like you ain't never seen one before." Charles said to Geo. "It was fresh, white! It even had that milky flavor with great vitamin!"

Cliff hesitated for a brief moment. "...So you're talkin' bout a milkbone?"

"Exactly, cat." Charles confirmed. "I've just now found out it's been missin' and I've spent the last minute or so tryin' ta reunite with it."

The dog prepares himself to get back to hunting down his bone but not before insisting on the the cat and the hamster for their assistance. "I'd ask you two to get in on this search party 'o mine but I'm willin' ta bet the cat's got a date with a certain serinus canaria ta nip in the bud right about now."

Cliff stuttered his words for a second followed by a brief beat. "Yeah, I... I do," he responded as he walks away the group, as he starts his search on finding Walt, hiding somewhere in the interior of the house. "I need ta check 'n see if the bird's okay."

Geo stood puzzled from the scientific term Charles used to refer to Walt. "Um... sir inus... con aria?"

"That scientific kid has used several terms that most of this family doesn't seen ta understand. It's kinda weird, I know." Charles said.

A couple seconds of silence befelled the two animals before Geo relentlessly brushed it off without any problem. "So, if you're still looking for someone to join your search party, I'm all in on that offer!"

"Really? You will?" Charles happily reacted with a smile.

"Yeah, I wouldn't mind helping you out my friend!"

The dog grabbed Geo's transparent ball, hugging it tight in his paws in excitement. "Oh thank ya, thank ya!"

"Don't mention it!" Geo said before he grows concerned about his ball. "Careful not to shatter my ball though."

Those seven words influenced the happy dog to set Geo's transparent ball in front of him. "Sorry, Ham."

"Now so far, you've already checked the living room, now let's start trying out the other rooms in this house. I call the dining room and the kitchen."

"And I'll call the upstairs hallway and rooms!" The dog added.

Before the two of them can make their move, Lynn Sr. slowly came down the stairs, properly dressed in his attire. Before he made his way into the kitchen, he stopped by the living room to see Charles and Geo sitting there, staring directly at the man's face. What did they think the man of the house was going to do next? If anything, maybe he would give the animals a nice hello or offering them a treat would satisfy them for a good, but small portion of the day.

He walked over to the pets as he noticed the rug wasn't laid out all the way. He used his right foot to roll the rest of the floor covering out as the canine and the hamster sat and watched before the man of the house uttered his words in a half-hearted tone.

"Hey Charles, Geo. Cause no trouble," He said as the dog panted and wagged his tail, before making his way to the kitchen, pausing midway as he realized he had to do something else. "Actually, I have to call the academy first."

He went back into his room, closing the door from behind as he proceeded to get the daycare on the phone. Silence took place for the animals again before they finally made their move. Geo whipped out a magnifying glass.

"Alright. Unsolved mysteries yet to face, Detective Geo is on the case."

"Ham, where'd ya get that magnifyin' glass?" Charles questioned.

"It's a big mystery remember?"

"Ya got that right."

The two nodded together before they proceeded to split up. "Move out!"

Two Minutes Later

Cliff was outside, walking over to the tree holding Walt's delicate birdhouse. He tried looking for him throughout most of the household with no luck. He's extremely worried at the moment, thinking he may have distanced himself from the rest of the Loud family over something trivial.

He got himself ready to check his birdhouse. Could he really be hiding inside his own home, trying to calm down from the situation, or could he really be gone?

He inhaled deeply, before emitting a long meow to the bird. Time passed by for a bit, but no bird to be found. Eventually, he just simply called out to him. "Ay, bird! Are ya in there?"

Walt instantly emerged from his birdhouse still holding onto his hostile expression, bluntly responding to the concerned black feline. "What?"

"Oh there you are. I've been lookin' for ya all around the house for around five minutes."

"Why do that?"

"Cause I'm worried about ya, bird. Everythin' okay?"

Walt sighed before he answered the cat's question. "Why wouldn't it be?"

Cliff sat silently, trying to keep the conversation going as he thought up more questions to ask him out of his concern for the bird. "I... heard about what's been goin' on with ya lately..."

"You mean the backlash?" Walt assumed, tilting his head slightly.

Cliff shifted eyes downward for a brief moment before he shifted them back up to the canary. "Well... yeah. How'd ya know?"

"It's been a heated discussion for about an entire month so far. Those critics are comparing me to that rough teenage athlete just cause I was seeking revenge for my house. All of that because some people don't seem to understand my nature."

"Wait a minute, I thought birds like you are supposed to be passionate and sweet..?"

"Apparently the internet is wrong, cat." Walt corrected, temporarily confusing Cliff as he is left stumped now. "Birds like me can necessarily be territorial and/or aggressive, hence why I'm angry most of the time. I mean, there are some birds that act less aggressive but you know what I mean."

Cliff scratched his head. "Really?" he said, before Walt nodded. "Huh. Well, bird. If I tell you a little something regardin' the same situation, would that cheer ya up?"

Walt thought about it for a brief period of time. "Hmm... if you think it will, then I guess?"

"Alrighty then." Cliff replied, before he started telling his story.

Another Two Minutes Later

Back inside, Charles was upstairs, scoping around Lori and Leni's bedroom floor for the milk bone that's gone missing.

"Where are ya, bone?" He uttered before checking under the bed with shoes scattered all over, with no luck to turn around. "Not under here."

He gave the dressers a shot soon after, opening one of the lowest drawers filled with socks. "Maybe it's in here?" He started rifling around. The bone was nowhere to be found before Charles closed the dresser, moving on to the drawer next to it, filled with fresh pairs of underpants. The dog reacted quickly, shutting the drawer as fast as possible with a blush to top it off.

"Whoops!" he giggled before exiting the bedroom. "Not in there either."

Geo maneuvered around the dining room interior, inspecting the place for any leads to the thief. "No visible imprints on the carpet floor yet..." he mumbled, rolling back into the kitchen for any luck. "There might be a lead somewhere in the kitchen, I bet..."

Charles walked inside Luna and Luan's room for any luck. "If it's not in that room, maybe it's in this room." He only saw nothing but the girls' personal belongings for a second, until Gary the hare popped up out of Luan's magic hat. Charles spotted him, influencing him to ask a single question. "Hey you, I'm lookin' for a tasty milk bone that someone stole. Have ya seen it around recently?"

The white bunny himself thought about his little question, rubbing his chin for a second before he shook his head horizontally, telling the concerned canine that he hasn't seen it around anywhere.

"Rats." Charles reacted, before leaving the bedroom as Gary got back inside the hat.

Downstairs in the kitchen, Geo inspected the interior, looking for any kind of prints on the marble floorboards through his magnifying glass. "Huh, nothing."

As he heard footsteps coming towards the kitchen, he put away his magnifying glass and faced towards the cased opening of the interior. It was Lynn Sr., making plans to start up an early lunch at least for him and his wife when she returns from dropping the kids off at school.

"Well time to whip up something to eat," he said as he faced towards Geo, rolling his way out of the kitchen before the father of the house lifted the hamster's ball off the floor. "Wait, don't you go anywhere just yet. I need your help opening something for me!"

Geo silently sighed to himself before he submitted to his little task.

Back outside, Cliff and Walt are on the tree now, still engaged in their conversation as the cat finished up his story to tell to the yellow canary.

"And that's all that happened." Cliff concluded.

"Wow." Walt commented without flair. "That's an interesting story, and you told it very well."

"Ya see, there's no pleasin' everybody out there. It's only their opinions. I mean, it's not like it's a true fact or anythin' like that 'n all."

The canary slightly rolled his eyes. "I see that, cat. I'm okay with people's opinions but overreacting to a small little detail or action somebody does is just infuriating to me."

"Now, did that make you feel any better?" The cat wondered, slightly tilting his head.

"Barely. But I do feel the urge to thank you for trying." Walt replied without any hesitation to show, influencing the feline to believe that his efforts of cheering a friend up was something, if not anything at all.

"Oh, well... you're welcome," Cliff responded with a little beam to show. "As long as it helped ya in any way, I'm satisfied."

He dismounted from the tree, landing on his paws on the green grass below him. "Now c'mon. The dog's lookin' for a bone he can't find and he's in need of out help."

Walt hesitated before declining the task as he headed back inside his birdhouse. "You go ahead without me. I'm going to take a nap and hopefully this'll all blow over soon."

"Oh... well, alright," Cliff said before he walked away from the tree. "Guess I'll help the dog myself."

Back in the kitchen, Lynn Sr. used the hamster as a can opener as he munched around the rim of the can before he set the animal down back in his ball, praising him for his assistance. "Thanks for the help, Geo," he said. "You're free to wander off now, I've got a baloney sandwich to whip up!"

Geo resumed his mission to track down the milk bone thief as he rolled about out into the living room now before Cliff entered the kitchen through the doggy door, walking into the living room with the hamster without the father figure batting an eye.

The hamster looked around the interior to find something that could help. No luck. Cliff followed him from behind, not paying any attention to what's in front of him before bumping into Geo's ball, pushing him forward a couple of inches as he fell flat on the inside. The hamster got up as he turned around to see a neutral Cliff, pausing his movement.

"Hey cat," Geo said. "Me and the dog still haven't found that bone, you got any leads or clues alone?"

"Nada, since I just got back in here." Cliff awkwardly responded, due to the hamster's sudden rhyming. "Where's the dog?"

"He's upstairs looking for it. He's been through some of the kids' rooms so far and he's got nothing."

Cliff shifted his attention to the staircase leading up to the upstairs hallway. "Alrighty, If that's the case, I'd better go help him." He said, before he ascended up the stairs.

Geo couldn't find anything in the living room, so he went into the parents bedroom to investigate. "Can't believe I'm about to do this." he uttered before he entered the room.

Cliff made his way upstairs, calling out to Charles to figure out which room he went in. "Ay, dog. Where are ya?" He said, influencing Charles to emerge from Lana and Lola's bedroom.

"I'm right here, cat." The dog responded. "How'd it go with the bird?"

"Fine I'm assumin', now hook me up with a quick rundown on what parts of the house you investigated."

Charles took in a huge breath before he answered his question, pointing to each door he went into. "The bathroom, That door, that door, that door, and this door. Except for my boy's room and the room right behind ya."

"Okay, great!" Cliff reacted. "You check that room while I check the one behind me."

"Got it!" Charles complied before he ran inside the middle child's room while Cliff entered the room of the two youngest siblings.

Lincoln's cramped bedroom was surprisingly well kept for once. The dog himself sniffed about inside his room, in hopes to finally find his bone again. A few seconds of mingling around the interior, he managed to catch a whiff of it. It was close, building up his canine determination to end the hunt once and for all. He spent time rummaging around the room, but it came to the conclusion that it really wasn't in the eleven year old boy's bedroom.

"Not in here either?" Charles moaned. "But I can smell it from here too! Where could that darn bone be?"

Before the dog could begin to lament over his possession, He heard a meow coming from the other unchecked room, influencing the dog himself to go to the feline.

In Lisa and Lily's room, Charles walked in on Cliff, sitting there quietly as he observed something in his colorless view. He crept closer until he was right next to him before he broke the silence.

"Aroo?" The dog uttered, before the cat gestured to what he was looking at.

"Dog, is that... your bone?"

The word bone alone immediately prompted the canine to turn around and see what Cliff was seeing. It was a miracle at long last. He found his bone, being nibbled on one end by the youngest member of the Loud family, Lily Loud, who was sleeping in front of the baby cage.

"There it is... that's my bone!" Charles silently said in pure joy. "I don't believe it. This whole time, that kid's got her paws on my bone..."

A long pause between the two animals engaged as sounds of a sleeping Lily's babbling emitted in the room before Cliff continued the conversation. "Huh. Who woulda thought?"

Geo entered the room the two animals were in, before Charles scratched his head as he tried to figure out how to get his possession back. "Problem is, how are we gonna get it back? I could just snatch it away... No wait... Hmm..."

The dog was stumped, he had no idea what to do to solve this situation. What is Lily started crying after getting his bone back, or let a naughty one slip out?

"Oh, you guys found it finally." Geo said.

"Yep." Cliff answered. "So dog, what are ya gonna do?"

Charles had to take a chance this time. The result could be anything, but he'd never find out if he didn't do anything. He sighed, letting go of his tensions before he made a move. "I'm goin' in."

The dog walked over to the baby as he wagged his tail. He passed his tongue over to her face, waking her up as it influenced her to giggle uncontrollably as if she was getting tickled from her older siblings. A couple of moist licks in was just enough to get Lily to release the bone from her little hands as it drooped to the carpet below.

"Doggy doggy!" She uttered in joy, before the dog stopped licking her. By that time, the father figure entered the bedroom as the animals watched his actions.

"There you are Lily," He said as he picked her up, noticing how wet her face is from the dog's unconditioned affection towards her. "Ugh, The daycare academy will be here any minute and you look moist!"

The three animals glanced at each other before returning their attention to Lynn Sr. using his shirt to wipe her face off. "Come on, let's get you cleaned up."

The man walked out of the room, with little Lily in his arms. The three pets looked back at each other to a mission well completed before Charles finally went to his milk bone, reunited once again as he wagged his tail even more.

"Case closed." Geo said in confidence.

"Yeah. I guess so." Cliff added before he and the hamster turned their attention to the satisfied white canine as he lecherously swiped his tongue all over the cartilage, making not so subtle slurping noises in the process.

Cliff and Geo started to feel queasy from observing the dog playing with his milk bone, to the point where they felt like they were going to puke.

"Delicious, milk bone... how I love thee." Charles said as if he was playing a role in a romance film before he continued swiping his tongue all over it. The two pets watching him glanced at each other before the two decided to leave him be with his bone.

"Well, I'm glad you and your bone are back together now." Geo said to Charles, showing off a sheepish smile.

"I'm hopin' you'll savor that thing every once in a while." Cliff added before he and the hamster left the canine alone without a word.

Charles stopped licking it for a moment to lift it off of the floor as he gave it a small kiss on one of the ends of the bone.

"What'd I tell ya? _Deeeelicious!_ "

* * *

 ** _~End~_**


	9. Cage Fright

_Story 8: Cage Fright_

 ** _A/N: Probably not my best one, but I tried!~_**

* * *

10:30 am

It's a rather typical Thursday morning down in good ol' Royal Woods. Clear skies all around, with mild and humid weather to befall the residential areas. It was bound to be a wonderful day today, down in the Loud House.

In the living room, Rita and Lynn Sr. both talked to each other, starting up an important topic about taking the pets down somewhere this afternoon, that is until the mother of the household checked the time from her cell phone that informed her that they had an hour to get to the place.

"My gosh, we need to hurry up and get Charles and Cliff in the van," Rita stated to her husband. "We've got less than sixty minutes to go before they decide to cancel our appointment and it's about a thirty minute drive to the place!"

"You're right, honey," Lynn Sr. answered back. "You go get the pet cages ready, I'll take care of those mangy animals!"

"How are you gonna do that?" Rita asked before she toned her voice down, in case the pets were around, which they weren't at the very moment. "For all we know, they could see through our little ruse."

The husband tried to calm her wife down. "Don't be ridiculous, hun! They probably won't understand what we intend on doing unless you tell them! And besides, it's not like they're gonna get some shots done or anything like that."

Upstairs in Lincoln tight room was Charles, acting as lazy as ever as he snoozed on his furry back with his salivating tongue sticking out. He wagged his tail in excitement as he dreamed about prancing through a field of bacon, and lots of it. As he was about to munch on some of the greasy pig meat, Cliff grabbed hold of his head and shook him down, waking him up from the dream.

"Dog! Did ya hear?" Cliff panicked before Charles stared into his eyes, curious about his news as he retracted his tongue back into his mouth.

"What is it, cat? I've got some pork meat ta dream about!" Charles answered.

Cliff braved himself as he laid these exact words into the dog's head. "Those humans are gonna take us to the place where they poke us with those sharp, pointy needles!"

The white canine jumped in fear. "Don't play like that, cat!"

"Who said I was playin'?!" The cat retaliated as the dog started gulping down his own saliva.

"Aw rats! I never thought this day would come!" Charles said, placing his paws on his head as he softly shook in fear. "We're gettin' shots?!"

Cliff mimicked the canine's motions, trembling down as his heart slowly dropped. "I'm scared, dog..."

Charles walked over to the fearful cat before he petted him softly on the back. "Me too cat... me too!"

They decided to grab ahold of each other's backs, shaking together in fear for a brief period before they both turned to each other for a plan.

"What are we gonna do?" Cliff asked as Charles brainstormed of a plan. Turns out, he only had one option.

"I've got an idea!" The dog exclaimed, before he bolted out of Lincoln's tight bedroom much to Cliff's surprised reaction.

"Hey! Where ya goin'?!" he frantically questioned.

"No time! Split up!" The dog yelled back as he went to hide in Luan and Luna's bedroom before sounds of creaking stairs emitted loud enough for the feline to hear. He had to do something to not be visible at any cost. He looked around the room, desperate for a good place to hide away from. With no choice, he had to settle with hiding under the pre-teen's bed.

The cat crouched down as low as he could go, and scooched under the furniture before Lynn Sr. entered the bedroom with a glazed doughnut held ever so tightly in the palm of his hand, whistling for the two pets.

"Charles, here boy!" he said as he patted his pants down. He got no response back from the canine. "We've got fifty two minutes left to go and we cannot be late for this appointment!"

Seconds of dead silence befelled the black feline and the father figure before he thoroughly looked around the room for the dog. He checked behind Lincoln's door, his dresser before he finally got to checking his bed. He got down on his fours as he lifted the covers of his bed to find a terrified Cliff, meowing as he scratched his face in morbid fear before he too bolted out of the bedroom, leaving poor Lynn Sr. with small scars on his face as he yelped in pain.

"Ouch!" he exclaimed before exiting the boy's claustrophobic bedroom. "Dang it, Cliff! No more treats for you for a little while!"

Charles looked all around the room for a good spot to hide away from the father figure of eleven children. "C'mon think, where can I hide?" he asked himself.

He settled with hiding in a corner next to Luan's dresser, hoping it wouldn't get him discovered. But, he was completely out in the open from that point. He figured he would need to input some ingenuity for his next suggestion.

The white canine thought to himself. "I wonder if I could fit in here..."

He opened up one of the drawers of Luan's dresser, only to become startled by one of the trickster's snake gags as they sprung out into the air, causing the poor dog to fall on his rear end. The canine grew anxious as he barely had any time remaining to sit and wonder what just happened as there were sounds of footsteps approaching down the hallway. He hopped inside the storage compartment and slid it closed without a problem to show.

Lynn Sr. stuck his head into the room, whistling for the canine to come to him to no avail. "Here Charles!" he said, yet again. There was no response. Charles was determined to not get caught by the man. He hadn't made a single noise the minute the father figure set foot into the bedroom. His nose caught a scent of a half eaten doughnut Lynn Sr. had on him as it pressured him into giving in, but he wasn't gonna let one of his favorite things to snack on give away his hiding place, up until his stomach growled out of nowhere emitting sounds that were identical to a bear's low growl, so much for timing. Now he was starving.

In a strange sort of way, Lynn Sr. slightly jumped, thinking there is a monster hiding inside the bedroom. "What was that...?" he quivered as he looked around for anything unusual.

"Get ahold of yourself. It's only my imagination. Probably nothing to be worried about..." But, there was something. It was the sound of Charles' rumbling stomach that sounds of a mother ursine. As it lasted for more than a single second, the continuous sound sent the man running back out of the room and descended down the flight of stairs.

"Aah! Honey, help!" he screamed at the top of his lungs.

As the sound of footsteps seemed to have died down, Charles came out of the drawer compartment as he wiped off his forehead in sweet relief. "Whoa. I'm surprised that my hunger seemed to have scared 'em off their socks."

Back downstairs on the first floor, Lynn Sr. came running to his wife in the kitchen as he trembled in shock. Rita took note of his sudden change in action and curiosity ensued.

"Honey, what's the matter?" she asked. "Where's the cat and the dog?"

"So far, I can't find them!" he answered. "I have a eerie feeling that there might be something scary in Luna and Luan's room!"

"Oh please! I highly doubt there's anything horrifying in their room."

Charles descended down the stairs with Cliff following him close behind as they both looked for another spot to hide in the living room now. They didn't have much time to react as they just had to go with their first suggestion that popped up inside their heads. The two animals decided to press their luck as they settled with hiding behind a sofa and a chair as her husband retaliated and grabbed ahold of her hand. "Honey c'mon! I'll show you what I'm talking about so you won't think I'm a liar!"

"But, we've got forty two minutes left! I'm pretty sure this isn't more important than..." she couldn't finish the rest of her sentence as the father of the house dragged her upstairs to look in the bedroom.

The second the animals were in the clear for now, they emerged from their hiding spots and started up a conversation.

"If I remember this correctly, the humans have around eleven minutes before they have ta leave for that nightmare of a ride." Charles said, in a rather quiet tone.

"Huh. The length of an episode segment." Cliff concernedly replied. "What are we gonna do, dog? Just hide from those humans for the remainder of the time?"

The canine softly sighed as they would have to keep the scheme going. "It would appear so, cat." he answered. "Unless you have a better idea or somethin' like that. Cause I ain't givin' in, lettin' those vets poke me with those... things!"

"Yeah, dog. It's like gettin' stung by bees." Cliff gulped. "...but the only difference is that it lasts for just a second or two."

Charles grunted. "I hate those bugs."

"Yeah, who doesn't?" Cliff added before a good, potential idea came running to his feline mind.

He gasped as it grabbed the attention of Charles. "I think I've got it!"

"Same here." Charles rebutted. "I believe I know what we're gonna be doin' now. No more hidin' around like weak little punks. We're facin' em."

Cliff sat there in small silence before he dropped his idea now. "Actually, your ideas' a bit better than mine."

Upstairs in Luan and Luna's room, Rita and Lynn Sr. still discussed about a noise the husband heard that made him run out of the room.

"I'm telling you, there's nothing those kids have in here that we need to be scared of." Rita assured, up until she realized there are some candidates. "Well... except maybe Lucy and some of Lisa's experiments."

"And I'm telling you that I did hear a growl coming from this room! I'm thinking a bear or something got in this house somehow!" the husband retaliated as Rita stood there silently, thinking that sound could belong to one of the pets they have.

"Well, don't you think that might have been Charles?"

Lynn Sr. hesitated for a few seconds as it slowly started to come to him. "You know what? You may be right." He laughed. "Silly me. For once, I've never actually heard a growl like that before."

Rita chuckled. "When have I ever been wrong?"

"Never, honey. Now we've wasted a bit of time from me worrying about a similar noise but I assure you we're gonna find those animals and make it to the vet on time. Now, let's get the cages. I have a idea, that i'm not sure if it's gonna work."

Three Minutes Later

Charles and Cliff crept to the entrance of Luan and Luna's room. A few seconds later, the two pets glanced towards each other with a good wink before the dog threw his growls into the room to scare off the parents of the household with little to no success.

Seconds go by with no reaction whatsoever before he decided to peek his canine head inside the bedroom as Cliff threw a hissing voice in the room, also to no avail.

"Cat, they're not here!" Charles uttered.

"Huh?" Cliff responded before he walked inside the room alongside Charles. "What do ya mean they're not in here?"

The two pets looked all over the interior of said room for a brief period of time before the dog answered back. "I mean, they're nowhere ta be found."

Silence took place for a good few seconds or so before the cat broke it. "Where do you think they've coulda gone?" he asked. "This is gettin' real strange."

Charles squinted his eyes. "Indeed."

After looking around the interior once more, scents of food emerged from downstairs, crossing paths with the pets' black noses. They reacted as the stench entered their nostrils, thinking that this happened to be another trick the parents were plotting without any hints given to the two.

Charles slightly grew irritated as he sighed. "Again with the temptin', huh..?"

"Somethin's definitely cookin' down there." Cliff added as the thought of chowing down food had them drooling. "I smell what they're doin' now."

Charles deciphered the scent down, his face growing determined after each second. "Bacon."

Cliff got a different scent mixed with the former scent. "...And salmon."

Back downstairs was the father figure, cooking up some food in hopes to lure the pets down into the kitchen to eat. Meanwhile, Rita set up a trap for the pets to encounter.

"Are you sure this is going to work?" Rita asked in curiosity.

"Trust me with this, honey." Lynn Sr. reassured. "Those pets can never seem to resist these babies!"

"Let's sure hope so..."

"Believe me, it will!"

Back upstairs, the pets were still being tempted with the food getting cooked in the kitchen. The scents filled up half of the hallway now as their stomachs started growling even more.

"Ohhh, I can't take this!" Charles said. "I gotta eat somethin'!"

"That salmon does smell promisin'..." Cliff added in response before the two decided to give in and get their hunger under control.

The dog was the first to walk down the flight of stairs again, followed by the cat closely behind. By the time they got to the carpet of the first floor, they noticed a sudden change they clearly weren't aware of earlier in the day. They discovered a floral print curtain the parents decided to set up in front of the open doorway, leading into the dining room of the Loud House.

The animals were understandably confused from this point onwards, as they had never seen this before. The parents on the other side of the wide open doorway took note of their little steps approaching the curtain and booted up a conversation as if they weren't trying to make this sound like another ruse they were up to.

"Don't you think this looks a little... bright?" Rita asked her husband.

"I don't think so, but it could use a couple more flowers to make it look less bland than it is now." Lynn Sr. confidently answered.

Rita sighed as to what could have been. "Maybe you're right. I could've gotten a better design actually worth the fifteen dollars I spent on this."

The pets back in the living room glanced at each other as they shrugged in confusion, but they had a date with the bacon and salmon to get to. The two walked simultaneously under the curtains which unfortunately led them right into their cages.

This was it for the parents as they were still unaware of what their real intent was. They both went towards the pet cages and closed them both in.

"Aha! Gotcha!" the parents exclaimed in unison. The pets came to a shock as they were done for now, completely falling victim to their trap.

Charles and Cliff dropped their ears now as they came to a conclusion they have been bested by humans. The dog whined to them to let him out as the cat meowed in infuriation.

"Calm down you two! It's only a simple checkup to make sure you pets are in good health!"

Charles and Cliff calmed their attitude as they heard the man's statement.

"Well, I can't believe that worked." Rita said in surprise.

"To be honest with you honey, me either," Lynn Sr. responded. "Now that we have only..."

He checked the clock for the time before he realized that they had less than half an hour to get to the vet. "Aah! We gotta go now, there's twenty five minutes left!"

"We might be late! Our only chance of luck is if the traffic isn't high!" Rita responded.

The father lifted up Charles' cage and headed for the front door. "Hurry up and grab Cliff's cage and get in the van!"

Twenty Two Minutes Later

They arrived at the vet with only a few minutes left to spare. One of the vets were waiting for them right outside of the door as the couple raced towards the building with the pet cages as the canine and the feline were in subtle despair.

"Here we are, miss." Lynn Sr. said.

"Yes, you sure are." the vet said in a positive remark. "Come along so we can get started, despite being a couple minutes early."

Inside the back room, the vet carefully examined a whimpering Charles, with Cliff watching beside him in a sympathetic direction. Lynn Sr. and Rita sat in some chairs as they quietly observed the vet doing his work.

"Looks like everything seems fine to me for your animals, Mr. Loud."

The parents both sighed in relief as the vet walked towards the two parents. The pets on the other side were just as relieved as the parents were as they didn't have to worry about a thing anymore. Their thought of actually not having to get poked by needles brought a little smile to their face.

"Oh, thank gosh." The mother said.

"Although I may need to ask, have your pets ever been vaccinated before?"

The parents both looked at each other in a concerned way. Lynn Sr. thought it was just a simple check up as he didn't think a question like this would be brought into play.

"Well... no they... haven't?" Lynn Sr. nervously answered.

"Oh. Well, I do highly recommend that you do make an appointment for a core vaccination at least once per year for your animals. It's to make sure they don't fall victim to any potential risks that could happen to them later on in their lives. And because I trust that you'll be good owners to these animals, I'll start the vaccination in a few minutes."

"Oh, you have no idea." Rita said as Lynn Sr. thought about the vaccination before he gave in a few seconds later. He broke out sweating as he was afraid the the pets reaction to the needles would throw their behavior all out of whack.

The vet walked back over to his desk to where the pets were and talked to them in case their anxiety would get the better of the two. "Don't you worry, everything will be over in just a couple of seconds."

Charles and Cliff quickly glanced at each other as they don't know what's going to befall the two animals next. The vet brought out two unused syringes filled with vaccination medicine as the two pets' eyes widened and their irises shrank before the two of them slowly gulped in terror.

"Hold still now, this isn't gonna hurt a bit."

The latter six words had the pets covering their eyes as they got into their coward positions, shaking so swiftly. The dog whined in fear before it influenced the vet to pause his session.

"Miss, would you mind carrying your pets in your arms? I'd figure it'd be easier since I can see they're kinda jerking around."

"I can do that." The mother said.

Thirty Minutes Later

Back in the Loud House, Charles and Cliff were sitting on the couch. They were really upset with the two parents of the household as the husband was removing the bandages off of their feet. The father felt the urge to apologize to the pets for the unfortunate misunderstanding.

"I'm real sorry you two," he said. "I was pretty sure that it was just going to be a regular checkup."

Rita gave her husband a pat on the shoulder as he just finished up taking the bandages off the animals. "It's for the best anyway, as we just wanted to make sure our sweet little pets stay with us for a long while."

The pets started to show a bit of remorse after a few seconds of the parents' chatter, up until their stomachs started rumbling again.

"Oh, and you're pretty hungry too," Lynn Sr. said as he took notice before heading into the kitchen. "I'm gonna go into the kitchen and get you guys something."

Rita soon went to her room to change. A couple seconds of silence flew by before the black feline softly sighed.

"Y'know dog, I feel that I should apologize as well." he said.

"Why ya apologizin' ta me?" Charles asked.

Cliff stroked the dog's head. "It's my fault that I misheard those humans and told ya the wrong information..."

Charles grabbed ahold of the cat's paw and set it back on the couch. "But, as it turns out in the end, you were right all along. Not only that, I'm actually more mad about them teasin' us with food just so they could get us trapped in those cages than gettin' poked by a steel needle."

"Yeah, same here."

Charles started feeling his paw as it was still in a small amount of pain from the shot. "Hopefully this pain in my paw'll start goin' away soon."

Cliff did the same thing the canine did as he tilted his head down a bit. "I couldn't agree more, dog."

Lynn Sr. came back into the living room with a plate of bacon and salmon, delivering it to the couch in between the two pets.

"Here you are," he said before he left to two animals alone as he headed into his room. "And again, I'm sorry!"

Charles licked his lips. "Oh boy!" he exclaimed, as he bean to dig in the plate of pig meat. Cliff extended his claws to cut up his salmon into a couple slices before grabbing one soon after and took a small bite out of it.

"Well, at least somethin' good came out of all of this." the black feline said. "Our little hunger problem's solved, and our health is in good standin!"

"And now, we won't have ta worry 'bout that for another year!"

"Yep! Ya got that right. Although that's the only con of this situation, but anythin' to help us live through each day without a problem."

The two resumed eating their bacon and salmon as the cat winked directly to the audience.

* * *

 **~End~**


	10. The Guard Pawsition

_Story 9: The Guard Pawsition_

* * *

8:30pm

It was a dark little Sunday night down in the wonderful residence of Royal Woods. Skies were pitch black all around as clouds started rolling in, sprinkling the place with heavy rain all over as some subtle thunderclaps filled in the empty void.

The interior of the Loud House was extremely dim, sans the living room as the pets got as comfortable as they could, sitting there on the family couch as the four animals gazed their eyes upon a television screen in front of them. It broadcasted a never before seen police program, discussing a thought out documentary on how to train a canine to become part of the police force.

The constructive and motivational dialogue spoken from the flat television screen gave the canine a little bit of a reminder about the last few words that the muddy-loving tomboy Lana Loud said to the pup before her and the rest of the Loud family left to send Luan down to a summer camp earlier today, but unfortunately had to spend a night down at the Buttz motel as Vanzilla unfortunately broke down.

"Be a good boy, Charles. Please protect our house while we're gone. And if anybody tries to burglarize you, you chomp 'em right in their butts!"

Given his docile and somewhat lazy nature, that statement influenced the dog to throw his head down as it reminded him of what he had become before he flopped his ears down slightly, sighing about the terrifying incidents he caused for the family.

"Y'know what you guys?" Cliff said, grabbing Charles, Geo and Walt's attention for a brief moment. "We've never spent the night without those humans around before. Aren't y'all the least bit concerned?"

"Eh, I'm sure they'll be fine." Walt answered.

"Yeah, cat," Charles added. "I know they'll be back, I just know it!"

A full minute passed before the white canine got up and walked into the kitchen as the three pets assumed he would grab something to snack on, influencing the animals to make a request to the dog.

"Ay, could ya grab me somethin' too, dog?" Cliff asked.

"Yeah?" Walt and Geo added simultaneously.

Charles showed no hesitation as he continued walking into the kitchen. "Yeah, sure."

As Cliff, Walt and Geo were to themselves, they continued to gaze upon the television program. A moment later, the black cat hatched a thought about being a guard cat along with the other two pets, who thought the exact same thing.

"You guys thinkin' what I'm thinkin'?" Cliff asked.

Walt turned his attention to the curious feline. "Yeah, I think so..?"

"Same here." Geo added.

Cliff scratched his chin, eyes facing up towards the ceiling. "Wouldn't it be cool to become a guard pet just like the dog?"

Geo smiled. "Yeah, that sounds like it could be very rewarding!"

Walt tilted his little head wondering about the cat's suggestion. "Eh, you really think so?"

"Well, yeah," Cliff answered. "I mean, guardin' the house from potential danger, scarin' off robbers with low ingenuity, it'll be fun!"

Geo came to a conflicting realization as he added the cons of the job to the conversation. "But it can also be very dangerous!" he said, grabbing the cat and the canary's undivided attention.

"How so?" Cliff asked.

Walt stepped in to answer the cat's question. "I mean, who's to say that they're armed? They could have weapons on them!"

The cat broke a sweat as he scratched his head. "Oh yeah, I hadn't thought about that..."

"But that's the point of being a guard pet," Geo said in shear confidence. "They always face the criminal masterminds no matter what the risks are!"

That sentence alone perked up the two animals with a small dose of determination. They looked at each other for a brief moment before they both turned to the hamster.

"You're right, Ham," the cat said. "We should try this out for ourselves!"

"Yeah!" Geo exclaimed as he thought about the cool times about being a guard pet for the house. As they were returning their attention to the television screen, a thought came floating around the canary's head.

"There's one problem though." he said. "We don't know anything about being a guard pet."

"Don't worry, bird," Cliff said, winking at the bird. "I think I know a perfect little candidate in this household that'll know somethin' about this."

A few seconds later, Charles walked back into the living room, carrying a box of pet food for the four animals to munch on during the night. The minute he got close to the family couch, he stopped to notice Cliff, Walt and Geo smiling at the baffled white canine.

He stood there, staring into the eyes of the three animals as if they did something naughty behind his back. Did they want something from him? Did they want to praise him for getting them something to eat to satisfy their stomachs? Charles had to find out sooner or later as he spoke to break the awkward silence as the box fell to the green carpet floor below.

"What's the hay's goin' on here?" he asked, slightly tilting his canine head.

The cat hesitated as he inserted a beat of uninterrupted silence. "Nnnnnothin', dog!"

Walt tried to ask a simple question to the dog. "We were just wondering if..."

"...you could teach us how to become a guard pet!" Geo concluded.

Charles stared blankly into their eyes again as he expressed a rather confused emotion as he grew curious of their request. "Wha... what makes ya think I'd be the one up for the job?"

Cliff jumped off the couch as he motioned towards the confused canine. He made an attempt to give him some motivation to help the three pets with their wish. "C'mon, dog! One of the humans took the time ta teach you how ta become a guard dog."

"And you sorta did great with it after you munched on a burglar's butt that one time." Geo added.

"Yeah," Charles admitted. "Only cause there were some tasty bacon from the seat of his pants, I can't help it! The scent of bacon from there led me right to 'em. It smelled so good! And don't get me started on the aftertaste."

He chuckled as he blushed, wagging his tail from the thought of pig meat. The three pets stood there in awkward silence, attempting to recuperate as they glanced at each other before brushing off the dog's dialogue.

"Anyway, you'll be a great trainer ta us!" Cliff confidently said.

"Yeah, come on!" Geo said. "You got this in the bag!"

"Eh, I dunno 'bout that you guys." Charles answered. "If I really wanted ta, then I would. But then again, I _love_ bein' such a lazy dog, plus Royal Woods' got a very low crime rate. So, I'm afraid I can't help y'all with that, sorry."

Charles walked away, back into the kitchen. But just before he could make it in the dining room, the black feline whipped out a cell phone one of the Louds unintentionally left behind and loaded up a video on the dog. "Well then, I guess ya wouldn't mind if this video of ya not realizin' that reflection of ya in the mirror isn't another dog hits the web."

The video showed Charles looking at himself in the mirror as he growled with rage, barking uncontrollably as he ran into the mirror at full force with his face. He ended up shattering the glass into a couple of pieces as he unconsciously fell down to the floor before the video ended there.

Charles was slightly enraged by the cat's sudden blackmail and lampshaded his actions as he drooped his ears and glared directly into the cat's eyes, pointing towards the device. "Hey, that dog's a _jerk_!"

15 Minutes Later

Cliff, Geo and Walt sat side by side on the carpet floor in front of the staircase with determined scowls across their faces. They all watched Charles military walk back and forth in straight lines, booting up his speech to train his friends to protect the Loud House to the best of their aptitude.

"Alright, you animals," he said. "This is no time for games here. It's all serious bidness from this point onwards!"

"Sir, yes sir!" the three animals exclaimed.

"This house is a valuable possession that belongs to us in this family, and it's our duty as pets ta protect it at all costs!"

"Sir, yes sir!"

Charles made a fist from one of his paws as he pounded his other paw with each sentence he delivered to the animals. "A real guard pet knows no fear! A real guard pet is always on the lookout for any and all surroundins'! A real guard pet-"

Walt interrupted the serious and determined pup, influencing him to stop where he was. "Get on with it already!"

The dog got up in the canary's face, still holding his angry expression as the canine gestured to his beak. "No back sass, bird!"

He resumed walking in straight lines as he continued his speech.

"A real guard pet knows who ta attack and who ta protect!"

"Sir, yes sir!" the three animals exclaimed, yet again before Charles moved on to his first lesson, showing their guard faces.

He growled, showing off his sharp teeth as he let out a loud bark to the three pets as a demonstration to showcase dominance in the house. "That's a war face! Now let me see yours!"

The dog walked to the animals one by one, each showing off their hostile expressions to show they mean serious business much to the surprised reaction coming from the white canine.

"Yeah! That's what I wanna see," Charles complimented. "Next up, we've got security measures ta tackle!"

Cliff slightly hesitated. "What kind of security measures?"

A few seconds later, the cat, canary and the hamster found themselves carrying kitchen appliances, backs towards each other as their sighs shared a portion of the living room.

"Oh." Cliff reacted, with little surprise.

Walt was confused for a brief moment. "I thought he was talking about setting traps," he softly spoke. "That's honestly better than this boring old method!"

Charles walked around the trio of animals in a rather large circle, still holding on to his determined expression. "Well, this seems better since traps can easily go downhill with just a slight miscalculation." he said as Cliff, Geo and Walt, glanced at each other for a slight second. "Anyway, ya animals always have to be on your guard, and watch out for anything unusual in this house. When you see it, go after it and take 'em down!"

"Gotcha, sir!" Geo said as the black feline and yellow bird shifted their eyes towards the determined hamster before they said something similar.

"Yes sir!" they added before Charles went into the dining room, hiding from the eyes of the three pets as he was getting ready to test them with Lincoln's stuffed bunny, Bun-Bun. A brief moment of silence befelled the tensions of the cat, canary and hamster before the canine threw the stuffed animal into the room. As it hit the floor in front of the unsuspecting feline, he suddenly jumped up a few inches, letting out a huge meow as he took off in a short straight line before turning around a split second later.

Walt and Geo tried the best of their ability not to let out a laugh as the unexpected reaction from the black feline caught both of them completely off-guard, including the dog. Cliff grew slightly irritated from the sudden appearance of the stuffed bunny in the living room before he noticed the bard and hamster's faces, turning more red with each passing minute. They were heavily smiling at each other as they really wanted to laugh right now, but they needed to be serious as it wasn't the time to break.

"Let it out," Cliff sighed. "Y'know ya want ta."

Those seven words was enough to get the animals to burst out into snickering for a couple of seconds at least to finally get it out of their systems before they both returned back into serious determination.

"Okay, we're done snickering now." Geo said.

"Great, cause I wasn't ready for that at all," Cliff gestured towards the dining room. "He knows I don't like bein' startled! I say do over!"

Charles emerged from the dining room as he sighed in dissatisfaction. "Okay... then let's try this."

A moment later, the animals were in the kitchen. Charles was outside the doggy door as the rest of the animals were inside, listening to the canine for further instructions.

"Remember what I said earlier, ya animals." Charles reminded.

"Right!" the three pets answered back, up until one of them completely forgot what they were supposed to do.

"What were we supposed to do again?" Geo said.

Charles sighed. "You'll see in a minute as I ain't got time ta explain it again."

The dog prepared himself for the session. He lifted his rear high up before he entered through the doggy door. His sudden appearance was a signal for Cliff and Walt to tackle him down on the floor. Geo observed this as he now realized what they're were doing. This was what Charles was talking about.

"Oh yeah, I see what we're doing now." he said.

* * *

5 Minutes Later

A small montage takes place for the pets preparing themselves for future crime scenes. Cliff was in Lori and Leni's room, extending his claws out as he filed them to get them sharp. He examined them very closely and decided they weren't sharp enough to his liking and resumed filing them.

Walt and Geo were together, working up a plan to execute a trap they wanted to do. The bird rolled out a piece of paper as it revealed a rather simple list of instructions to set it up, which happened to be a tripwire trap. The bird and the hamster glanced at each other for a good few seconds before they concluded with a determined, yet neutral nod.

Back to Cliff in the eldest of the siblings' bedroom, he just finished up sharpening up his nails to his satisfaction. Before he left, he tested them on a pair of pants that had been lying around on the carpet floor.

 _SCRATCH!_

The feline's scratching opened up a small tear in the clothing. The cat felt like he was mighty enough to guard the house one day, but since Royal Woods does indeed have a low crime rate, it'd probably never take place in the near future. But hey, they never know.

Charles was in the bathroom as he was squirting out toothpaste. He brushed his teeth as thoroughly as possible for a good amount of seconds before he spat into the sink, showing off his pearly whites in the mirror in front of him. After a second of silence, he talked to the audience. "What? A dog can't get his teeth cleaned to chomp on some burglar butts?"

Down to Walt and Geo, the bird held down tightly on the string using his beak as the hamster took his time, tying up the string end to the open doorway, leading into the kitchen. As the trap was finished, the two of the pets looked on top of the doorway as it held about a few pounds of garlic powder. The two seemed satisfied with how it turned out and gave each other high fives to a plan well executed.

* * *

The montage had finished up now as the four pets were back in the living room ready to go if any danger was presented in the house. Charles praised the three animals for the good work they've managed to do in about an hour.

"Great work, fellas," he said. "Tomorrow's another night to whip up some more trainin' for ya. But for now, I think it's time ta rest."

"Agreed, sir." Cliff yawned.

"Yes, sir." Walt and Geo responded simultaneously before they too yawned as they both fell asleep, followed by the dog and the cat closely behind.

As the animals all slept for a while now, they were disturbed by a loud sudden noise that came directly out of the blue.

 _SHATTER!_

The animals all woke up at the same time, shaking from the sound. They were instantly given the suspicion that somebody must have broken into the household as they were too afraid to go see what it was.

"What... what was that?" Geo quietly said.

"Somebody must've broke in!" Charles answered. "I never thought this would happen."

"I thought ya said this place has a very low crime rate!" Cliff said.

"That doesn't mean this happens every so often, cat!"

"Yeah," Walt added. "I mean, it's not like this place is oh I dunno... a convenience store or a bank, both of which are one of the most common targets in a stickup."

Charles winked at the canary. "The bird's got a point."

Sounds of steps and rummaging through the fridge and the pantry emitted from the kitchen clear enough for the pets to take notice. "So... what are we waitin' for?"

"Let's just call the fuzz!" Geo recommended.

"Ham, if we were ta do that, then all this trainin' we did together would be completely pointless!"

"The cat's right," Charles took the lead as he was the first to sluggishly walk to the dining room. "C'mon guys. Let's go bust us a thief."

Cliff was the next candidate to walk behind Charles, followed by Walt and Geo close behind after hesitating a few seconds. As they reached the open doorway leading to the dining room of the house, the dog and cat crept their way to the side of the doorway leading to the kitchen, where the noise was currently located.

The two animals gulped as they prepared themselves to have a glance inside the kitchen to see what was going on. But, before they do so, they noticed a tripwire trap Walt and Geo had worked on as they look up to the ceiling to notice the garlic powder still in place.

Charles was the first to take a look inside the kitchen, as it would soon turn out that their suspicion would become undeniable. He caught sight of an open door to the kitchen along with some broken glass scattered in front of the doorway. The dog also took notice of an uninvited man, dressed in all black clothing as he rifled through the cabinets for a brief moment before he got down on his fours to check the bottom cabinets.

Unbeknownst to the human being, he was in for a rough little surprise if he didn't realize in time that he was no longer alone in the interior of the household.

Charles pulled his head back into the dining room as he glanced towards the curious feline. He nodded to him as it confirmed that it was definitely their suspicion before he returned his attention back to the man, growing more determined and angrier for each passing second that went by.

He watched out for the trip wire as he didn't want to draw any attention and foil the bird and hamster's hard worked plan before he charged full force at the man's rear end, all while he growled under his breath. He opened up his jaws wide and closed them down tightly on the man's buttocks, influencing the bad guy in this situation to scream and jump, hitting his head on the cabinets.

He got up on his feet to find Charles teething savagely on his pants. He moved to the best of his ability in hopes to get the snarling canine off of his butt as Cliff watched the battle occur. He turned to Walt and Geo and promptly gave the two a thumbs up.

"Wish me luck you two!" the cat said before he went in the kitchen to go for the man's legs.

The sudden appearance of the hissing feline in front of him now made the man jump again, letting out a squeak.

 _SCRATCH!_

The force was enough to leave a scar or two on the man's legs as it got him down on his fours again as the backside of his pants started to tear. A good amount of pain occurred in more than one place for the man as he grabbed ahold of his leg and his rump before the angry canine tore through his shirt now as he pulled on it with great force to the point where it slowly tore off the man's body.

Walt and Geo moved in front of the doorway to the kitchen to watch the white canine and black feline take turns mauling the man. They were extremely surprised with what the two pets can do all thanks to Charles' quick training to become a guard pet.

"You know something?" Walt said to the hamster.

"Yeah?" Geo responded back.

"We regret nothing about getting the dog to train us on how to protect this house."

Geo smiled towards the bird. "Given the observation that they rendered the guy almost completely naked with few scratches around his legs, I feel like that was totally worth the training."

Walt was about to agree with the hamster's well said statement until the man, now only wearing pants to which the majority of the clothing is torn to pieces, emerged from the kitchen, falling on top of the trip wire the two set up as it would release the garlic powder, showering ten pounds of it onto the man below, leaving very well placed satisfied reactions on Walt and Geo.

The white substance made contact with his eyes as it would soon sting after a couple of seconds. He screamed in pain as he wiped his watering eyes out as he attempted to get back on his feet, only to notice a very angry Charles and Cliff as they growled and hissed at the man assuming he was looking for more trouble with the two animals. But no, he was very traumatized now, to the point where he almost sprang a leak in his trousers.

"Curse you, mangy animals!" he shouted before he bolted out the kitchen door into the night, running straight for the horizon. Charles went to the kitchen door to observe the man run for his like as if he was still being chased down by the animal.

"And I better not ever catch ya settin' paw in this household, again!" he shouted at the man before closing the door with moderate force thrown in.

The four pets all cheered for each other to their first defeated robber. Barking, meowing, tweeting and chatter clashed against one another as they all approached closer to each other before they huddled up in a group hug.

"Well, we did it you guys." Charles said.

"That was awesome!" Geo complimented to the dog and the cat.

"Agreed." Walt added.

"Looks like all that trainin' really paid off!" Cliff stated, looking at each of the three pets. "I gotta hand it to ya dog, that was real aggressive of ya tearin' that guy's clothes off."

"Hey, what can I say?" he wagged his tail. "I like the taste of cotton... 'n wool."

A second of silence took place before the sound of Vanzilla came from the driveway. The Loud family finally made it back home for the night as they all entered their house through the front door, influencing the pets sans Charles to go to them.

The canine stood there, simply sniffing around for something to eat until Lana and Lincoln came into the kitchen. Surprised expressions took over their faces as they noticed the shards of broken glass on the kitchen floor as the mud loving tomboy ran to the white canine.

"What happened in here while we were gone?" Lincoln asked.

Lana petted Charles on the head, influencing the happy pup to wag his tail even more as he stomped his hind paw in excitement. She turned her sights onto her big brother to answer his question. "Somebody must've broke in here while we were gone for most of the day! And I'm willing to bet that good ol' Charles here scared 'em off!"

"The last time I checked, Royal Woods has a very low crime rate-"

Lana interrupted the boy. "But you never know! Anything could happen while we're not here!"

"Yeah, I see where you're going with that, Lana."

Lincoln thought of something that could help out who could have broke in their house in their absence as he left the kitchen.

"Hey Lisa, I can't believe I'm asking this but you still have those cameras set up?"

Charles opened his eyes wide as he would soon gulp in absolute fear.

* * *

 **~End~**


	11. Laughingsock

_Story 10: Laughingsock_

* * *

12:00pm

It was just another good Saturday down in the good old neighborhood of Royal Woods, everybody's favorite day of the week. With empty cyan skies with no chance of rain whatsoever. So calm and normal, it's almost unusual. One may wonder what brand new shenanigans are the Loud family up to on a clear day like this? Who knows. With a packed house with thirteen human beings and four animals living together, it's very obvious that there would be a lot of chaotic events happening at this moment.

But nope, this time, something real fuzzy was afoot.

Inside the living room interior of the Loud House was Cliff the cat, scratching away at a post nearby the corner next to the room belonging to the adult authority figures of their eleven children. He was having a lot of fun as he clawed away at the item, saving the furniture in the room from wear and tear. He purred very softly as his satisfaction brought a smile to his feline face before he heard a door open from the room.

Lori and Leni arrived back home from the Royal Woods Mall as they were carrying several bags, with very pleased expressions with all the items they just bought that were surprisingly on sale for a third off of their total price. Cliff sat there, watching the two oldest siblings as he made an attempt in his mind to figure out the context.

"O-M-Gosh, Lori! Can you believe all the stuff they had on sale?" Leni said, looking ever so eclectic.

Lori set her bags down for a brief moment. "It was literally the one time opportunity that we totally don't regret missing out on."

"Definitely! The mascara will look so spot on, that boy in school can't resist my face."

"That powder's gonna look real divine for me! Bobby will not take his eyes off of me."

"Even the clothes! I'll have several different combinations on what I can totally wear!"

"And still look absolutely amazing!"

The two continued chattering about before the black feline decided to take a walk to the upstairs hallway. As he was just about to set paw on one of the stairs, Lori took notice of him, walking to him with two pairs of navy socks made fit for an animal sapient with small white imprints of paws.

"Cliff, sit." she commanded, before he stopped in the process as he meowed to him in confusion, tilting his feline head. "I got something for you."

She lifted the cat off the floor, equipping the soft socks on his four paws before setting him back down on the floor. Cliff was pretty confused. Why were they generous enough to get him some artifact of clothing knowing they bought stuff for themselves most of the time? At least it was nice that they think about the feline animal while they were not present inside the household.

Cliff looked at the socks on his paws. He tried to shake them off as they felt somewhat uncomfortable to the black cat.

"Don't do that, Cliff!" Lori called out to the cat as she whipped her cell phone out. "I still need to take a nice little photo!"

"Me too!" Leni added as she whipped hers out soon after. The flashes from their cell phones gave Cliff wide open eyes as his irises shrunk in size before turning back to normal couple of seconds after. He drooped his ears down in mere humiliation as he looked to the socks on his paws, expressing irritation from trying to get them off.

Leni was satisfied with the result of the picture alongside Lori. "This is so cute!"

"Literally flawless." Lori added before the two sisters grabbed their shopping bags as they would soon head upstairs to unpack their items in their bedroom. "Later Cliff."

"I really hope you like those sockies!" Leni added, ascending the staircase after Lori to leave the feline to whatever he was planning on doing with his time.

Cliff looked very angry now. He set his perspective vision on the socks the girls bought for the cat to wear for a small beat before he softly growled to himself, thinking about how he was going to strip those pieces of clothing right off of his big paws.

He lifted up one of his front paws and dug his teeth into the blue cotton, pulling on it as hard as he can before it eventually slipped off, now leaving a sock in his mouth. He spat the sock out with a satisfied reaction on his face before he did the exact same for the other paw.

As soon as those socks we off his paws now, he was pleased. "That's better." he said. But he wasn't done yet. He still had the two socks on his hind paws to take care of. He continued to walk about until he noticed he was actually walking a bit funny, influencing the black feline to stop and check his hind paws. "Now what am I gonna do with the two of ya...?"

He tried shaking his hind legs in hopes for the socks to slip off after a bit of time. But nope, they were holding on to him as if they were duct tape.

"Aw c'mon!"

After moments of struggling to remove the socks on his own, Charles and Geo entered the scene of the situation as they sat there, watching the show go down as it would amuse them. The white canine softly chuckled to himself as the brown hamster would soon smirk before Cliff stopped trying to fight the socks as he caught notice of the two of them barely trying to hold it together. The two managed to get their act together as they laid eyes on the humiliated cat.

"Oh. So this is funny to ya somehow." He said to the two animals.

Charles took a step forward towards the cat. "Well, at least it ain't me!"

"Nice socks. Where'd you get them?" Geo commented, leaving Cliff with an irritated expression.

"How am I supposed ta know, Ham? The girls got me these... uncomfy socks." Cliff bluntly answered.

"Aw come on, cat! It looks rather... amusin' on ya." Charles complimented.

Cliff grew more infuriated overtime as the humiliation from the socks would slightly overcome the feline. "Well, I don't like 'em I tell ya. I don't like 'em _not one bit!_ " He turned his back to them as he lifted up one of his hind legs to the two animals. "Now, would one of ya guys just help me get these things off?"

Charles and Geo glanced towards each other before the white canine obliged to help as he walked right behind the cat. "Yeah, sure cat."

He bent his canine arms down as he was preparing himself to do his deed. As he grabbed a hold of one of the socks, he received a tiny spark on the nose. The sound similar to a small whip came directly out of the blue as it prompted the dog to jump back an inch, but not before yelping out before doing so, catching the two other pets off their guard.

"Ouch!" the canine exclaimed. "What the livin' heck was that, man?"

"What happened, dog?" Cliff asked with concern.

Geo stepped in the situation to try to explain. "That my friend, is a static shock. Those socks must have created a charge of electricity depending whether or not he dragged his paws on the floor, and when the dog touched you trying to take your socks off, it passed on to him."

Cliff turned to the hamster and sat down on his rump. He was actually surprised to hear something like that. "Wow... that's actually... pretty cool."

"Yeah, you learn something new each day." Geo smiled.

"Ya got that right, Ham." Charles agreed as he rubbed his nose to soothe the pain.

"Sorry 'bout yer nose, dog." Cliff petted the dog on his head.

"It's fine, cat. Besides, it's not the worst thing that's happened ta me."

* * *

 _An incident was brought up where Charles and Lily were in the same bedroom together._

"It's more embarrassin' actually. So, it was all normal at first..." Charles narrated.

 _The dog was sleeping like a sweet innocent angel, being lazy as he would any other day. Lily was inside her crib, struggling to free herself from the crib for seconds for what seemed like minutes for the lazy white canine._

 _The struggling lasted for a good half a minute until the infant had hatched up a little plan. She wanted to find out for herself if she could somehow manipulate that animal in the room to do something for her. But she thought to herself. Does the dog have a slight increase of aptitude to know how to open up a gate or will he just lay there like the lazy yet docile dog he is? Either way, there was only one way to find out._

 _She tried to get Charles' attention as she waved a chocolate chip cookie in her hands. Who knows where that junk food came from? Wherever she obtained it from, it was still bound to tempt most animals, especially common house pets._

 _"Doggy!" the infant uttered as it grabbed the canine's attention for a brief moment._

"And then, that kid had a delicious lookin' cookie."

 _Charles had the eyes of a cookie as he started to slowly drool on the carpet floor, wagging his short little tail in the process before Lily gave the salivating animal an instruction._

 _"Open!" She pointed at the latches of the baby crib._

"I had no idea what ta do from there. I couldn't resist eating that thing, but ya guys know me well enough that I had ta go for it."

 _The canine walked over to the latch to the crib and unlocked it with his paw as the gate fell open soon after the infant pushed on it. She tossed the junk treat into Charles' wide open mouth before munching on it vigorously._

"And then, it happened."

 _A few seconds of no change in action swooped past the two characters before Lily took off her diaper rendering her completely naked behind the dog before she grabbed the canine as she dragged him into the baby crib, equipping the musky diaper on the poor dog._

 _She would soon jump out of her crib before she locked the crib back up, trapping the diaper wearing animal inside as she wandered about in the nude, giggling for what she's done._

* * *

Cliff and Geo snickered to themselves as they still paid their attention to the dog. "Sounds like someone had a _rough_ day." Cliff smiled as Charles looked to the feline unamused.

"Who knew that kid was so smart? I didn't see any of that comin' at all. And ya don't wanna know what those chips in that cookie did ta me afterwards."

"It's all a big mystery there, dog." Cliff said.

"Yep. Definitely." Geo added.

A second of silence passed in the house before Lori and Leni came down the stairs with clothes fit for a house pet. The seventeen year old carried a cotton sweater with heart imprints all over while the sixteen year old carried an inverted replica of the shirt Lori had along with two more pair of socks. The girls took notice of the pets sitting right in front of the furniture and gave off a good smile.

"Oh good, there you are, Cliff." Lori said.

"Look doggy, we got something for you!" Leni exclaimed as she presented the items to the white canine. "It'll look so cute on you!"

Charles gulped. He wasn't ready for something like this. As soon as the girls approached the animals, the dog attempted to make a run for it, only to hit the coffee table behind him before he fell down with stars floating around his canine cranium.

Leni grabbed Charles and held him tight in her arms as she equipped the clothing on the dog. Lori did the exact same action as the sixteen year old girl with Cliff as she smiled on like there wasn't a care in the world. They soon stepped away from the pets the second they were done dressing the pets up.

"These clothes are so you, pup," Leni complimented. "We should totes like get another picture of them for our social media!"

"I agree," Lori commented as she whipped out her cell phone once again. "Let's do it!"

The two sisters snapped a small series of photos, their camera flashes flashing every second or two as the pets covered their eyes to avoid getting temporarily blinded by the light. As they finished up, they both went back upstairs to their bedroom as they looked over the pictures on their phone, deciding which one to post online.

Cliff looked over to Charles as Geo rolled over towards the black cat. "Oh goody. As if socks weren't humiliatin' enough." he bluntly said under his breath before Walt flew into the scene as he wondered what the situation was. "Now we've got these shirts ta worry about!"

Walt flew to Geo, landing on top of his transparent ball. He sat there and studied the two pets' wardrobe before he snickered to himself as he prompted to ask about their attire. "What's with the clothes?"

"These clothes... are drivin' me nuts!" Cliff answered the canary as he blankly stared into the cat's eyes.

"Yeah, but look on the bright side." A pause took place for the yellow bird before he grinned to the two animals with a smile. "At lease we don't have to wear them!"

Charles answered the canary through his intelligent logic. "Yeah, cause these clothes wouldn't even come close ta fit the two of youse!"

"Lucky youse." Cliff added as he squinted his eyes.

The white canine started to itch now, due to the shirt being uncomfortable. He scratched his back with one of his hind legs to no avail, but it didn't work out. "Ugh, these darn clothes are makin' me feel uncomfortable. I can't even scratch where I need ta scratch!"

Geo and Walt glanced at each other for a brief moment.

"Not even your own butt?" Geo asked.

"My butt's rarely even a problem." Charles answered, before he dragged his rump across the carpet floor a couple of inches just to prove a point. "Ahh, that feels nice..."

Walt cringed. "Ew. That's kinda gross."

"Well, it's all natural for us dogs," Charles reminded. "Cringe all ya want. Nothing's bound ta change."

"Yeah!" Cliff added as he walked funny due to the socks still on his hind paws. "What are we gonna do now, what with these clothes that makes ya itchy, uncomfortable and everythin'?"

"I can't get 'em off, cat!"

"Neither can I!" Cliff remembered what he did with his front two paws as he glanced at them for a small amount of time. "By the way, the front paws are the easy part. Just take 'em off with your mouth."

"Oh." Charles said. He bit down on the socks on his paws and pulled on them upwards with good force, eventually slipping off as they flew airborne for a quick second before landing right in front of the pets. "Makin' progress!"

Walt and Geo decided to sit back and watch the show unfurl as the hamster whipped out a small bag of popcorn whilst the canary whipped out a cup of soda to sip from. Depending on the situation, it was their prediction the result would be somewhat hilarious.

Cliff looked at the clothes he's currently wearing, thinking on how to extract them off of their fur. "Now for the rest of these clothes. They're the major problem."

The cat tried to wiggle his hind legs again to shake the socks off whilst Charles bit the sleeve of the shirt on him, attempting to rip it off with little to no success. The dog later tried to remove the socks off his hind legs as he wiggled them in hopes for them to slip off as he walked funny around the living room. After seconds of struggling to try and remove the clothes, the two animals stopped to catch their breaths as the canary and the hamster subtly giggled at them.

The dog panted for a small period of time from exerting his bite force on the cotton shirt before the black feline did the same thing after being too tired from trying to get the socks off.

"Hoo boy." Charles said. "We need some help."

"I'd never thought I'd say this but, same here, dog." Cliff said.

Charles turned to Walt and Geo. "Bird, Ham..." He noticed the two eating popcorn and drinking a beverage as if they were sitting at a theater, enjoying a movie They stopped as soon as they noticed an slightly irate dog talking to them. "Oh, I see what this is. Ya think this is entertainin' ta youse, huh?"

The canary and the hamster stared blankly at the canine before they both glanced towards each other as they threw away their snacks and drinks, pretending like nothing ever happened.

"What do you mean?" Geo smiled before the bird looked up to the dog.

"I'm just really thirsty." Walt added.

"Oh, whatever," Charles said. "Would ya please just help us get this garb off our backs?"

"Yeah, we'll help ya." Walt obliged without any hesitation.

"We just need to head upstairs for something first." Geo added before the two animals made their way up the stairs as it would lead them to the hallway. Charles turned to Cliff as he had an idea in case the two small pets didn't come back to their aid in time.

"Alright cat," he said with determination. "I think I got an idea, for at least the socks part."

"What's that, dog?" the cat asked.

Charles sat down on his rump before he used his hind legs to scratch his ears. "Scratch yer ears like me."

"Gotcha!" Cliff tried his absolute best to mimic the dog's actions before he eventually got the hang of it seconds after.

"Good, now if ya can, bite 'em off."

"What now?"

The dog grabbed a hold of one sock with his teeth and managed to successfully pull it off before he looked back at the anxious black feline. "I'm talkin' about the socks, cat."

"...Oh yeah." Cliff did the exact same thing, only it took him a little more than double the time it took Charles to extract one on his own. The two pets grew more satisfied with each strip of clothing they managed to remove on their own.

"It's workin!" Cliff said. "Now for the last one!"

"You're goin' down sock!" Charles softly growled before he lifted his other hind leg up presuming to scratch his other ear. Together, the dog and cat grabbed a hold of the last remaining sock on their paws and pulled on them at the same exact time. The cotton socks slowly slipped off as they flung across the living room in midair, before they landed on the carpet floor seconds after.

The dog and the cat were very satisfied now. At least now they didn't have to walk awkwardly anymore. But they were still not done yet. The one thing they had left to conquer was the shirts.

"There we go," Charles said. "Much better!"

"I couldn't agree more, dog." Cliff responded. "All that's left is these dumb shirts."

"Yep! Let's do this!"

Charles and Cliff took deep breaths, before they both simultaneously bit down on the cotton shirts, pulling on them as hard as they could with only a little bit of success to present.

Walt and Geo came back down the stairs with the canary carrying a pair of scissors with his feet. They approached Charles and Cliff as they were currently struggling as they attempted to tear the shirts off their backs.

"Okay, we're here!" Walt said, influencing Cliff to stop in the middle of pulling the shirt off. "You guys need some scissors?"

"At least it'd be enough to cut you guys some slack!"

Cliff stared at the two pets blankly for a small beat. "Okay. Pun aside, I don't think that's gonna be necessary, you two."

"Yeah! This pup's in the zone!" Charles muffled as he tried to tear through the clothing. It finally started to tear after quite some time. Charles grew more happy as the sound of the tearing emitted loud and clear, grabbing Cliff, Walt and Geo's undivided attention as they slowly opened their mouths. "Yes! Tear baby, tear!"

The three pets started smiling now. They finally knew that progress was being made with ridding the clothes as Charles tried to render himself completely nude. Cliff returned to doing the same thing the white canine did as he would soon finally free himself from the cotton clothing.

 _TEAR!_

Charles' part was finally complete. He felt real proud for all that he had to go through to look like his old self again. He lifted his paws high in the air for a job well done.

"Freedom!" He exclaimed, before he looked down, covering himself below his waist as he smiled and blushed in the process. He finally started to scratch himself again as it relieved the itching caused by the shirt the girls made him wear. Cliff was almost done tearing off the shirt from this point. The black feline gave it one final pull before the cotton tore off entirely. Cliff was finally free from his shirt as well, also rendering the feline in the nude.

"Finally!" he said as he also scratched himself to relieve the irritation from the cotton clothing. He sighed in great relief as he rolled his tongue out. "Oh yeah... I've been waitin' for this for a while!"

"You can say that again, cat!" Charles agreed.

Few seconds later, the two animals finished reliving the irritation on their fur. Now, the four pets were faced with yet another problem. They all looked at the clothing Charles and Cliff tore off and thought to themselves in their thought bubbles that they think Lori and Leni might get mad at them for ruining their clothes they generously spent for them and instantly lose their trust the minute the two of them found out, thinking the pets are ungrateful after all the bonding over the years.

Charles and Cliff started to show remorse as they looked down at the floor.

"Guys, what have we become?" Charles sympathetically said.

"We might be horrible animals after all." Cliff added.

Geo interfered. "No no no, you guys. You know that's not true."

"But... we've presented disrespect to our family for this." Charles drooped down his ears in shame. "Those girls were generous enough to get us somethin' and we just spat on it like it's a useless artifact."

"C'mon now. You guys need to stop beating yourself up over this." Walt said.

Charles perked his head up, facing the three pets side by side. "As much as I really hate that shirt 'n those socks, we shouldn't be so unappreciative for all they've done for us. I mean... because of them, we got a roof over our heads, food in our bowl and everythin' else a pet needs to have a good life."

Cliff, Geo and Walt gloomily glanced at each other for a brief moment before they set their sight back on the sad canine. It's time to set things right in the household.

"You're right, dog." Cliff responded. "Let's fix this, for them. To show that we care."

"It's the right thing to do." Geo added.

"Agreed." Walt concluded.

A few minutes later up in the bedroom interior of Lori and Leni, the two oldest teens were surfing through their social media accounts through their mobile phones. They were completely fixated on their screens as they noticed all the likes and comments they got on their pictures of Charles and Cliff in their garb.

"Hey Leni," The seventeen year old said, grabbing Leni's attention. "Look at all the comments and likes Cliff's gotten, literally over twenty five so far and counting!"

"Well, the puppy's picture has gotten over three O's!" Leni said with flair.

"You mean thirty?" Lori asked.

Leni hesitated for a small while. "Oh, yeah!" She resumed back to her phone before the two heard a meow coming from the front of the teens. It was Cliff and Charles, wearing the socks on their paws and the torn shirts on their fur, worn as if they were capes while they both smiled awkwardly.

The two girls gasped. "Charles, Cliff, What did you do?" Lori asked the animals in light shock.

Leni interfered her sister. "Lori, look at 'em! I think they rather want to look like superheroes!"

The two animals glanced at each other in confusion.

"Well, it does look rather amusing this way." Lori thought to herself. "This gives me an idea!"

A minute later, the pets found themselves in front of a fan, blowing on them to make the two animals look ever so majestic. Cliff closed his eyes as he basked in all the cool air while Charles stuck his tongue out as if he was going for a ride in a car. The two girls whipped their phones out once again, adjusting their settings to turn off their flashes before they got their phones in position to take the picture.

"Ready pets?" Lori and Leni said simultaneously before the two animals responded back with a happy attitude.

"Smile!"

The two took the picture on their cell phone. The results came out nice for the two of them as they commented on their photos.

"That's literally perfect."

"O-M-Gosh, that is totes cute!"

Charles and Cliff looked at each other as they gave low fives.

* * *

 **~End~**

 **A/N: Whoa, ten stories already! Two months in and I'm honestly having so much fun writing these one shot stories on the Loud Pets. You're probably wondering why Charles, Cliff, Geo, and Walt are able to communicate with each other instead of just the normal sounds they make. It all started when I was writing Watterson Down (doesn't tie in to this series btw and haven't gotten back to it ever since this became a thing) and my good mate Omega Ultra gave me a recommendation to give the pets the ability to talk in order to understand thoughts better to avoid too much detailing of my story. I honestly felt weird about it at first but I soon adapted to this idea overtime, so huge shoutouts to him.**

 **Hopefully I can keep this going as I drop a new story about the Loud Pets perspectives each week or two and don't forget I'm always open to any suggestions you have as long as it's friendly.**

 **See you all next time, and for those who read this, thank you all so much!**


	12. Mint Condition

_Story 11: Mint Condition_

 ** _A/N: Idea suggested by GroverFan_**

* * *

 _1:05pm_

It was yet another good old Tuesday down in the residential area of Royal Woods. Light grey clouds spread across the gloomy sky as they sluggishly floated past the Loud House. Who knows what the animals or even the parents were up to at this particular moment as they waited for the kids to come home from school?

Inside the living room interior, Rita had a rather curious reaction to a small burlap sack the size of his palm that her husband was looking at inches away from his face as he emerged from the dining room from unpacking a few bags of groceries from earlier on in the day, all while he ad-libbed a tune in his head.

"Where did you get that thing?" Rita politely asked.

Lynn Sr. pointed at the item. "Oh this thing?" he responded. "Somebody was giving them away as I left the store. He insisted me persistently to take one, so I did, as I was desperate for the guy to stop yammering about 'em."

Rita looked puzzled. "Alright then..." She wanted to take the time to ask her husband for a small favor. "Do you mind taking me to the mall?"

"You look perfect the way you are honey." Lynn Sr. answered.

"Thank you but they have some real nice jeans up there and I really need your opinion on which ones look better on me."

The husband started to gyrate the toy in the palm of his hands. "Well, the way your figure looks, I bet they'll look great no matter what you put on."

"I'm getting the feeling that you're just saying that."

Lynn Sr. broke a sweat. "Honey, I'm not! Whatever made you think that?"

Rita hesitated for a small brief moment. "...I don't know. Could you just take me to the mall?"

"Alright!" Lynn Sr. responded with no pause or silence in between. He tossed the small burlap bag aside as they both headed out the front door before the wife closed the door from behind. They both hopped inside their van and backed out of their driveway before drifting off outside the neighborhood.

A few moments of silence took place inside the house until the sound of a yarn ball came bouncing down the staircase, followed by Cliff the cat a second later chasing after the toy. He leapt in the air for a good half of a second as he handed directly on top of the ball of yarn. He rolled around on the carpet floor as if he was wrestling a light weight fighter before he was upright, pinning down on the item like he was more superior.

"Gotcha!" Cliff exclaimed, looking down at the yarn with a devious little smile. "Thought ya could escape my feline wrath huh? Well you're sorely mistaken there, yarn!"

The black feline of the household spun the ball of yarn around as he chuckled about for a few seconds before he started to grow tired of the item. He pushed the item aside as he slightly drooped his feline head down, his eyes halfway shut as he exhaled another breath, rubbing one of his paws against the carpet floor of the living room.

"Welp, there goes another activity I've grown tired of." the black cat said to himself. "Now I'm bored again. What else is there ta do?"

A few seconds of Cliff brainstorming about how to spend the rest of his day later, an interesting oil scent emitting from the small burlap bag next to the front door answered his question as it made its way into the black feline's huge nostrils, influencing the cat to perk his head back up to deeply inhale the smell.

"Ooh... what is..." Cliff sniffed the scent again. "...that smell?"

He looked around the interior of the room as he continued to sniff up the stench before he noticed the burlap bag next to the door seconds later. He was soon fixated on the item as he would soon slightly tilt his feline head.

"Huh. That's strange." Cliff said before walking over to the small bag. He scratched his head trying to figure out where it came from as it just appeared out of nowhere in the cat's clear point of view. "I don't remember seein' this thing around the house."

He sat there quietly, staring the small sack down as he bent down to smell it once more. Overtime, the smell of oil seemed to stimulate the receptors from his big nose, neurons alternating his hypothalamus as it caused the curious feline started to smile after each sniff. He slowed moved his tail around as he backed away from the sack. His eyes taken over by swirls with pink hearts of love floating around his feline head as he subtly purred from triggered happiness before he laid on his back.

"Whoa... Why am I... so... happy all of a sudden?" Cliff said, with a highly euphoric tone. "What's goin' on now..."

Cliff was getting relaxed now. His eyes slowly squinted as they started spiraling out. He continued to purr and move his tail around as he got on his belly. He put his paws directly on top of the small burlap sack as he slowly smooched on one end of the bag before he used his nose to nuzzle on the tiny item.

"Wowee! I could... get used to this I mean..." he sniffed on the sack once again. "I've never felt anythin' like this before. It's so calm... so relaxin'... all of that!"

He laid his feline head on the sack as he soon started to pant slowly like a enthusiastic canine on a hot afternoon.

"I think I'll call ya... Karen."

Three Minutes Later

Cliff was up on the blue family couch, looking at the television screen in his upside down point of view as one of his paws was hanging down as he licked on a cherry lollipop in the other paw. "Whoa... this looks even better this way." A scene was currently being premiered where two men were playing a very simple card game.

 _"Do you have any... Rip Van Fishies?"_

 _"Go fish!"_

 _He sighed. "I'ma guess I'ma go fishin'!"_

The mention of the word fish had Cliff licking his lips in satisfaction. "Mama mia, I'd love some-a that." the cat said to himself in a daze, wagging his tail. "I'll gladly snarf down... all the fish ya got." He fell off the couch and onto the carpet floor a few seconds later.

 _"It'sa your turn!"_

Six Minutes Later

A very happy Cliff wandered around the room of Lisa and Lily Loud as he was still affected from the stimulant from the sack. He started laying on his back once more, swinging his hind legs around while he wagged his tail again, before he started to roll around on the floor until he bumped into Lisa's desk, accidentally knocking a book off the surface of the table.

It missed his feline head by a couple of inches as it opened up to a random page upon making contact on the carpet floor. The cat got on his four paws as he took a peek at one of the pages, reading it to himself with a smile.

"Step one: Insert nutrients in a flask... as shown in the picture." He expanded his eyes as if he was looking at something pleasing. He hesitated as he was fixated on the image presented to the feline straight from the book. He snickered for a bit before he looked towards the audience.

"Wow... I feel that... I should pull off a joke here but... I suddenly remember that this is... a kid's show."

Nine Minutes Later

Cliff clumsily paraded around the dining room interior as he held the burlap sack in his mouth while he rolled the ball of yarn around in front of him.

"C'mon you guys, I've got a great idear..." he said to the inanimate objects, pushing the ball of yarn in front of him next to the dining table. "You sit right there..." He tried to balance himself on top of the ball. "...and I hop up on top of ya..."

As he was making some progress, he ended up rolling backwards for a couple of feet into the living room until he lost his balance as the burlap sack was free from the black cat's hinges and fell on top of a misplaced whoopee cushion. The sound that imitated a long fart lasted for at least a few seconds, influencing Cliff to show off a surprised reaction until the cushion was completely out of air. He smiled for a bit before he started to laugh it off as if it were some kind of joke.

"Wow... good one Heaven." He said to his ball of yarn as he blushed from embarrassment, thinking he was the one who broke wind. "You've outdone yourself... once again!"

He sniffed the air again for a quick second as he still managed to smell the sack inches away from the mellow feline. The stench influenced the happy black feline to lay down on his back again as he moved his paws around. Charles walked into the scene, his attention completely fixated on Cliff's actions as he tried the best he can to piece together what the black cat was doing in his corrupted little mind.

"Hey cat?" Charles said, attempting to grab the feline's undivided attention.

Cliff lifted his head off the carpet as he looked over to the white dog. "Huh?" He smiled at him soon after. "Oh, heya dog! Let me get up 'n greet ya."

The happy feline rolled back on his fours before he turned around to get a good sight of Charles in his point of view. "That's better. How ya doin'? Have ya met my pals, Karen and Heaven?"

Charles looked blankly at the feline, confused as to what he was talking about. "Huh? Who are ya talkin' about?"

Cliff pointed at the sack and the ball of yarn next to the dog. "Them... right next ta youse!"

Charles looked at the two inanimate objects before turning back to the cat, tilting his head in confusion.

"Ain't that just a ball of yarn 'n a burlap toy though?"

Cliff walked over to put his paws on the dog. "Great pals, am I right dog?" He winked.

Charles started to get a bit concerned about the cat. "Um... you alright there, cat?"

"Sure, why wouldn't I be?" he hugged the white canine as he softly purred, slowly moving his tail around in excitement. "I've never been a happier animal in my life! What more could a cat ask for?"

"I've never seen this side of ya before..." Charles' worried expression took over his canine face. "What's causin' ya to act like this? Who did this to ya?"

Cliff decided to sing his response to the concerned white canine in A minor. "Who can treat ya like me, my canine friend? _Nobody_ , baby!"

Charles was surprised for a brief moment. "Wow cat, I didn't know ya could sing."

"Nobody did!" Cliff said.

Charles gulped. "Well, if nobody did this to ya, why are ya doin' this to yerself?" He caught a scent in the living room as he sniffed it up for some seconds. He made an attempt to decipher what kind of stench it was before he turned back to the feline. "Hey, what's that smell?"

Cliff widened his eyes as he knew the exact source of the stench. "Oh yeah..." He walked over to his two toys, picking up the burlap sack off the floor. "It must be Karen! Look at her!"

"Wait... so this burlap sack... is Karen?" Charles understandably questioned as the feline started to waft the stench towards the white canine's black nostrils.

"Oh yeah, dog." Cliff answered. "Ain't she a doll?"

The dog stared blankly at the item as he grew more fixated due to it's attractive scent. The cat soon demanded the canine to give it a try. "Well c'mon, give her a whiff!"

Charles tilted his head. "Eh... ya sure 'bout that?"

Cliff winked at the curious pup. "Trust me on this my canine companion. Relaaaaax..."

The white dog hesitated for a small period of time, before he placed his nose on the sack, inhaling deeply as the same exact effects were being applied to the stimulated canine's receptors. Seconds of sniffing the surface of the burlap sack later, it triggered a rather happy reaction from the dog, mellowing out as the stench of the sack essentially managed to calm his nerves down. His eyes spiraled out seconds after, squinting his eyes ever so slightly.

"Wow!" Charles reacted.

"Smells nice, don't it dog?" Cliff asked.

"This smells amazin', cat..." Charles responded with a small bit of hesitation. "It's better than pet treats..."

"Even better than... butts?" the cat added, to try and irk the white canine. But it slightly did as the mention of the word butt influenced the dog to face the cat with a bored blank expression.

"Hey now." Charles said. "Let's not go there a'ight?"

"Sorry, dog."

The white canine sniffed the surface of the toy once more before he decided to rub his moist nose on one side of the toy. Hearts flew around his canine head as he mellowed out overtime. Cliff grabbed onto the other with his mouth, pulling it away from the dog as he tried to get it back. They argued with each other after each tug on the toy.

"Wait, hold on! I'm not done with 'er yet!"

"I'm not done with 'er either! I wanna smell her too!"

"But cat, she likes me!"

"No way dog, she like me _more_!"

They both pulled as hard as they could, trying to get the other to lose their grip on one end of the toy. After a second or two, the toy started to tear in half before it tore all the way through, spreading it's contents over the two pets as they dropped the sack that's been split in two. They stared down at the item before they looked towards each other's eyes, speaking only one word about the situation.

"Whoa..."

Five Minutes Later

In the kitchen, Geo was in the sink inside of his dirty transparent ball as he was busy rinsing off the muck on the surface. Walt watched as he sat next to the handles, waiting for the hamster to finish freshening up. As Charles and Cliff walked clumsily into the kitchen without the ball of yarn and covered with mint all over their fur yapping about something as they wagged their tails, the yellow canary turned his attention on the cat and the dog. He started to wonder what was going on with the two loopy animals as he flew to the edge of the counter, unintentionally letting the water level rise up in the sink with Geo in it due to his clear ball blocking the sink's drainage.

"Now let me tell ya somethin'." Cliff said to the dog. "The first time I ever laid eyes on ya pal, I thought you were such a silly lil' pupper. You loved barkin' around the house all day long tryin' ta catch me."

Charles put his paw over the black feline. "And when I first saw ya cat, I kinda figured you'd be trouble. But I started ta grow to youse overtime the second I sniffed yer-"

"What's going on with you guys?" Walt interrupted, cutting the dog off mid-sentence as he grabbed both of the animals' undivided attention for a short span.

"Oh, hey you!" Charles said to a confused Walt. "I didn't think I'd see ya around here today."

"Me neither..!" Cliff added as he stroked the canine's head. "Thought you'd be in your little bird house, blowin' off steam as usual..!"

Walt stared them down for a second before he slightly squinted his eyes at the two animals. "Did something fall on top of your heads recently? You guys definitely aren't acting like yourselves."

Geo was in trouble. He had only a few seconds to grab Walt's attention before the hamster was to the point he couldn't open up his ball to tell the canary to shut off the faucet.

He had to act fast.

By that, it means right now.

He creaked open his ball as water splashed down on the lid. "Hey stop!" he yelled out to the yellow canary. His voice influenced him, Charles and Cliff to look over to the hamster in the sink closing the lid to his ball. Walt flew back over to the faucet handles, twisting on one of them as the water pressure soon came down to just a few drips per second as the water level in the sink was three fourths of the way full now.

The brown hamster wiped off his forehead in relief. "Close one!" He looked around for one to two seconds "Now what am I going to do now with my ball blocking the drain?" His question had the other pets thinking. "I'm not strong enough to break my ball free!"

Walt was quick to turn his point of view over to Charles and Cliff, playfully wrestling each other on the floor. The bird knew he wasn't strong enough to get Geo's ball unstuck. He had to get their attention again.

"Hey you guys!" Walt exclaimed as the two animals paused their play session together. They looked over to the flying bird with a serious expression on his face. "I figure that we could use a little help over here..?"

"Yes, help!" Geo yelped.

Charles got on his fours without hesitation with Cliff doing the same seconds later as he shook himself off before he was free from anything that was still stuck in his black fur. "Comin'... ya guys... right after... I go... pee..." The dog fell back on his belly, getting more relaxed as he closed his eyes, sleeping temporarily on the checkered pattern floorboard. Cliff sluggishly walked over to the counter as he prepared to make a jump on top of the counter.

He leapt up a few inches, grabbing hold of the edge as his claws dug into the concrete. He lifted himself up until he was able to catch a break. He managed to set his four paws on top of the counter now, right next to the sink.

"Tada...!" he said, whilst a clap track plays in the background. He turned his attention to Geo, grabbing hold of his ball, lifting it up as water finally went down the drain. He set him down right next to him as he praised the black feline for his little deed.

"Thanks, cat!" Geo said, smiling as he slowly inhaled and exhaled through his nose.

"Anythin' for my little pal, Ham." Cliff responded with a little hug. "I wonder what were ya doin' in there...?"

Geo looked up at the ceiling as he thought to himself before he looked back into the feline's eyes. "Oh... I was just washing off my ball." he said. "I mean, I can't have a dirty ball blocking my view of wherever I'm rolling to."

"Wow... that makes perfect sense..!" Cliff said.

Walt was still confused, yet he grew more concerned overtime as he flew on top of the snoozing white canine. "Seriously you guys, are you alright?"

"Alright as a bright ol' sun!" Cliff answered the canary as he dropped down to the floor, walking over to Charles' backside. "C'mon dog, let's go do something... cool." He used his mouth to grab on to the dog's short tail and dragged him out of the kitchen. Walt flew back to Geo, trying to come up with a plan to get the two animals back to normal.

"What are we gonna do?" Walt asked the hamster. "I've never seen those two act so different."

Geo thought to himself as he looked at the bird. "I have no idea. Maybe we should just wait a while and see where this goes? I'm sure whatever's happening to them will eventually blow over soon."

"Well... alright." Walt agreed. "If nothing happens in the next ten minutes, you best believe we're gonna do something about it." Walt asked the hamster an interesting followup question. "By the way, did you see all that stuff on the dog? What do you think that is?"

Geo shrugged as if he doesn't know what he was talking about. "Beats me."

"Well, I'm gonna find out." Walt said with determination. "Come with me."

Another Five Minutes Later

Back inside the living room, Charles and Cliff were rolling around together on the carpet floor for a couple of minutes straight. Their minds now set on a frolicking adventure with an attractive playmate with them having a fun time.

"This is fun isn't it?" Cliff said.

"You bet." Charles answered before an idea popped up inside his canine cranium, influencing him to stop rolling around. "I've got an even cooler idea- I mean, somethin' I've been meanin' ta ask ya."

The former six words alone managed to influence the crazy feline to stop rolling around on the floor as well. "Oh?" he uttered. "What's that?"

Charles extended his paw out towards the cat. "I want ya... ta kiss me."

Cliff hesitated on his answer as he scratched his feline head before he willingly decided to go for it. "Oh... well... okay." He bent down, slowly approaching the dog's face before he bent forward. The two pets closed their eyes as the cat's big nose made direct contact with the canine's as he rubbed it from side to side, lasting for at least a couple of seconds. Walt and Geo walked in on the two and sat there quietly, watching the entire scene between the two go down.

Charles happily sighed. "I love ya, ...pal." the dog uttered whilst he wagged his tail.

"Aw, shucks. I... love ya too, mate." Cliff responded, influencing the canary and the hamster observing the scene to glance towards each other before the hamster decided to express pleasure and delight as the canary looked on in confusion.

"This is so cute. Wouldn't you agree?" Geo said to the bird.

Walt tilted his head. "I don't know, Ham. This is kinda creeping me out."

One final second of their eskimo kiss later, the effects of the oil that originated from the burlap toy finally managed to wear off on the two happy animals. The receptors in their noses finally turned back to normal as the neurons stopped alternating their hypothalamus. They opened up their eyes staring deep into each others eyes as their eyes finally stopped spiraling, before they jumped back away from each other a few inches as they both yelped out simultaneously.

Oh, they were real surprised. They never thought the animals would find themselves in this awkward a situation.

"Whoa!" Charles yelled. "What the heck's goin' on here?"

"Shouldn't I be askin' ya that question, dog?" Cliff glared at the dog. "You were all up in my face!"

"Well why were ya all up in mine?" Charles growled.

"Don't ya dare give me that look!" Cliff commanded before he started to mimic the canine's aggressive action.

They crept closer to each other as they continued to argue with each other for quite a bit of time before Geo and Walt popped up between them to stop the fight.

"Hey, calm down!" Walt and Geo exclaimed, as the bird looked to the cat while the hamster looked at the dog.

"I think I know what happened between to two of you." Walt said. "You guys may have been exposed to an plant that triggers a different behavior once you inhaled it through your noses."

"It's called catmint. Apparently supposed to make you feel happy and mellow." Geo added to the bird's explanation.

Cliff and Charles glanced at each other with rather confused expressions.

"I don't remember any plant I've came across today." Cliff said.

"Me neither." Charles added.

"Well... do you remember smelling something unusual that might have caused you to act differently?"

The feline and the canine thought to themselves for a second. "Well... I think I remember a small pouch I saw earlier that might had an interestin' smell." The cat admitted, influencing the bird to perk up.

"Aha! It must be that burlap bag." Walt said.

"Huh?" Charles and Cliff reacted.

"That bag must have traces of the plant inside and you two must have fallen victim to it's scent."

"I wonder where it's at now?" the dog asked the cat.

"Before I find it, where did you guys know this stuff?" Cliff asked the two smaller pets.

"The place where one always goes to figure something out!" Geo answered.

"The internet." Walt bluntly added.

"...Alright." Charles said.

Cliff walked over to the front side of the family couch, which was where the torn up burlap toy was located, with small pieces of catmint scattered in a small pile. "This is it right here."

"Yep, that's it." Walt said.

"Oh." Charles said. "Well that's somethin'."

"The effects of this stuff only works on most cats... sometimes dogs too, but it only calms them down." Geo said. "It's a common item down at the pet store."

"Nice." Cliff commented. "I will admit though, I've never felt that way before. I almost don't seem to remember what I did for the past half hour or so."

The white dog prepared himself for a lengthy answer to the cat. "If you want a quick recap, you called your toys Karen and Heaven, ya messed around with a four year old's book, ya took the blame for a whoopee cushion when ya thought ya farted, talked about our very first time seein' each other, nuzzled with my nose and then confessed yer feelings ta me."

"Which again was real cute!" Geo added.

"Ah whatever, Ham."

"But then again, same here, cat." Charles said. "It was real nice if ya ask me."

He happily panted.

"Well, glad to clear things up!" Walt said. "I'm gonna go talk to a couple friends."

"Me too!" Geo said after the canary flew off into the kitchen followed by Geo rolling to the same location as the bird. The two animals sat there again, staring down at the torn up toy with a small pile of catmint.

"Dog, ya thinkin' what I'm thinkin'?" Cliff said to the white pup.

"I think I know where yer goin' with this, cat." Charles answered.

The two pets both bent down, sniffing the pile inches away as it would soon activate their receptors, eyes spiraling out as if they were in a trance.

Here we go again.

Ten Minutes Later

Lynn Sr. opened the front door. His eyes got a sightfull of Charles and Cliff rolling around for a quick second before he observed the two animals laying together, wagging their tails as if they were more than just buds.

"I gotta get that shopping list from the kitchen!" he said as he sprinted into the kitchen, soon tripping on the floor causing him to land on a puddle, but not before yelling out as he fell.

"Bad boy, Charles!" he yelled.

Charles sighed in relief as Cliff purred as he petted the dog again on the head.

* * *

 **~End~**

 **A/N: Don't forget, I'm always open to suggestions you might have, as long as they're a family-friendly topic.**


	13. Post-Terrier

_Story 12: Post-Terrier_

 **Idea suggested by GroverFan**

* * *

8:00 am

It's a bright and early Monday morning down in the great old neighborhood of Royal Woods. The Loud siblings as well as the parents were nowhere to be found inside the household as they were still on their vacation they worked so hard on for months. Sure they might have stumbled across a few situations they needed to get out of but they still managed to make it to their hotel rooms in time for the very next day. Surely the eleven siblings, especially Lana and the two parents might have at least wondered how the pets were doing without them as they were hundreds of miles away from the four animals.

Outside next to the house was Charles' doghouse. The white dog was sleeping peacefully with nothing surrounding him disturbing the snoozing animal. For a while, there were birds chirping in the trees, but Charles didn't seem to mind them at all. All he wanted was to just live his wonderful life as a majestic and wonderful American bulldog.

Subtle footsteps approached towards the Loud house, along with some whistling that sounded nothing like the birds from the tree. Nope, it was totally different. Charles slightly opened up one of his canine eyes to take a look at whoever was walking down the sidewalk.

It's a mailman, doing his daily duty by putting mail into people's mailbox. As the man walked closer to the front door of to the Loud house to drop off some mail, Charles perked his head up and promptly prepared himself to make his little move. "Alright dog," he smirked, squinting his canine eyes as he grew more fixated on the human being. "The perfect wake up call. It's time to take a good bite out of some mailman butt."

The white pup was completely fixated on the backside of the mailman as if he was participating in an old western duel at high noon. Why would he feel the need to bite down on a person's derrière just for simply doing their jobs as mailmen? Was there a long lasting feud between those type of people and dogs? What did they do to those sweet and docile house animals that happened to influence all of the dogs worldwide to tear them apart? The answer to all of the above, is extremely simple, yet very laconic to state at least from the five word answer from the white pup.

"It's what we dogs do!" Charles said to the readers before he charged at an innocent and unsuspecting mailman. As he was a dozen feet away from the human being, the man turned around and saw the white canine. He jumped up a few inches before he sank his teeth into one of his buttocks.

 _CHOMP!_

The man yelped out as he was in pain for quite a few seconds. Charles dug deep into the cotton of the mailman's pants before he tore a good piece of it off as he tugged on him as hard as he could. The result of the white canine's vicious attitude left the mailman feeling a good draft on his hindquarters, as the animal managed to expose a portion of his heart imprinted boxer briefs from behind. He ran away from the porch and into his mail truck soon after, whimpering in defeat as his face slowly turned pink from humiliation before he drove off into the horizon, presumably to another house down the street.

Charles was left with a stubborn scowl expression on his face as he felt very proud for what he had accomplished today. Victory belonged to the dogs for this round today as he spat the torn piece of denim out of his drooling mouth.

"That's right, keep on runnin'." the canine said under his breath. "Ya don't stand a chance when I'm around. That's why they call me the _bull_ dog." He soon squinted his eyes and snorted like a majestic bull that had just bested a well trained matador for the first time in its life.

Minutes later, inside the living room was Cliff, Geo and Walt, watching the television screen as usual whenever the family of thirteen isn't around. This time, they had pretty boring expressions across each of the animal's faces. A program about something completely new is currently being premiered on the screen.

 _A boy was looking at the front door of a friend's house with the saddest expression he could show on his face. He was to the point of shedding some remorseful tears as he had just been singled out by the five teenage boys he thought were his friends._ _He threw his head down in pitiful shame before the teens became fixated on the boy's sorrowful face, glaring deeply as one of the boys threw the door shut._

 _He slowly sighed. "I guess I brought this upon myself..." the boy said to himself "All of this ruckus over a dumb old plan. And it backfired, hard."_

 _He grabbed onto one of the cherries from his front pocket as he stared deep down into it as if it had a soul, but it reminded him of something he had yet to live down. He closed his hands as tightly as he could until the cherry popped directly in the palm of his hand, partially painting his shirt in its red fluids. He had to be strong. There was no chance that he could fix the pain that occurred between the boys from that point onward. It was time for him to move on._

 _"I don't need them," he said. "I bet I can find better friends than those... mean spirited jerks. They'll see! They'll wish they had treated me better than this!"_

 _He ran as far away as he could from the house, fighting back his own tears with each step._

The three pets all looked at each other as if they had thought of something that fit quite the topic that was being portrayed on the animated rectangular picture. "You know what this reminds me of, you guys?" Geo asked.

"If it's about those hundreds of dumb rewrites about Lovesick Nightmares, I'd rather not hear it." Walt bluntly answered.

"At least now, most of the human beings musta got over that already, unlike _some_ people." Cliff added, while slightly irritated. "...Though I wish they could at least cut the writer some slack. I mean, they even wanted that episode banned at some point. It's not like they're intentionally tryin' ta get stuff past the censors or somethin', they're just doin' their job!"

"I feel really bad for them." Geo said. "Really, I do."

"Same here, Ham." Walt responded. "But you know what they say? There's no pleasing everyone."

Geo slightly tilted his head to the left. "Where'd you learn that from?"

Walt flew on top of Cliff's head, looking down upon him in praise. The moment Geo found out from the bird's answer influenced a feel good smile on the brown hamster's face. "Oh! That's sweet!" he responded before he looked around the living room for Charles, who was nowhere to be found. "Anyway, have you guys seen the dog around anywhere?"

The short and simple question influenced Cliff and Walt to do the same action Geo performed just a few seconds prior. They couldn't manage to find the white animal in their peripheral visions.

"I dunno, Ham." Cliff responded.

"I bet he's probably outside, chewing on his butt." Walt added.

"Not exactly there, bird!" Charles answered from the dining room interior as he set paw inside the living room seconds after his little stand of bravery, holding the piece of denim he tore off a mailman earlier in the morning. The three pets turned their attention to the dog, walking towards them at a slow pace with a mad grin on his face.

"I done got into a standoff with a mailman today." the dog spat. "And I gotta say, I did 'em dirty. He ain't no match fer me."

Cliff smirked for a small second. "Don't ya mean... ya _denim_ dirty?" He chuckled to such an awkward pun he pulled off. Walt and Geo facepalmed as fast as lightning as Charles stood there puzzled, watching the black feline amuse himself before his chucking died down after.

"Um... interestin' wordplay I suppose?" Charles said.

"Thanks, dog!"

"He hangs with the one responsible for shaving us all naked that one time a lot." Walt said as he pointed to the cat.

"What an embarrassin' sight ta look back on..." Cliff mumbled to himself, before he asked Charles a question regarding the piece of denim in front of the dog. "But anyway, why'd ya have ta tear the mailman's pants off?"

His question influenced the canary and the hamster to raise an eyebrow towards the confident white dog who quickly changed his happy expression to a downright shock. He looked at the cat as if he said something completely disconcerting.

His surprised reaction influenced the cat to scratch his head and rephrase his question to make it sound clear and to the point. "Actually, bad choice of words there on my part." Cliff admitted with a little blush.

"Yep." Charles said. "Anyway, I have no idea why, we dogs just do. Like how the kids are into slapstick 'n toilet jokes."

"But, did the mailman do anything to you that made you attack him?" Geo asked.

"Nope." Charles answered the hamster.

"You know he's gonna try and avoid you the next day he delivers mail. Anything and everything he can to save his butt." Walt said. "And it's gonna be fun!"

"Well he better bring his best, cause I'll be ready 'n waitin'!" Charles said with determination overtaking his behavior, making a fist as his other paw made a normal impact.

Geo looked around at the bird and the cat before he looked back at Charles. "This feels a little unnecessary, don't you think?" he worried. "He's only doing his job."

"I'll have ta side with Ham on this one, dog." Cliff said. "It sounds pretty frivolous ta me. Can't ya give him a break? They probably don't pay 'em enough fer what they have ta encounter each 'n every-"

"It's called _life_!" Walt angrily assured. "There's no breaks in life! I mean, it's not like you go for a walk through a fresh meadow and expect everything to be just the way you want. They have to put their blood, sweat and tears into doing stuff to work your way up the scales and make a living for what you do. Plus, it's common knowledge that mailmen have to face dogs no matter what anybody does!"

"Yeah, the bird's right!" Charles agreed. "It's just the way it is! See, he agrees with me. But we're animals, we don't get ta work! We have fun with what we do in our nature!"

Geo attempted to solve the situation as he pointed out a suggestion. "Whatever happened to setting aside differences and just make up and be friends or something?"

Charles looked blankly at the hamster before changing his expression to a scowl. "That is never gonna happen." He looked at everyone else. "And besides, I'm actually doin' the human a favor if anythin'!"

The hamster was a little irate now as he bluntly asked the dog "How in the everloving... heck are you doing him a favor when you just ripped off a piece of his pants for no valid reason?"

Charles squinted his eyes along with a little smirk on his canine face as the finishing touch, as he was ready to show the three pets what attacking mailmen was all about. "Trust me ya guys. You'll see."

As the dog stormed out of the living room along with the bird, Cliff had a devious little smile on his face. Geo took notice of this and promptly stared at the feline for a second before he does the exact same. "Not if we have anythin' ta do about it."

8:00am - The Next Morning

The white canine slept very patiently inside of his doghouse. His one eye was open on the lookout for the mailman as if he wanted round two of the battle. Minutes of audible gusts of wind came rolling by along with chirping birds filling up some of the void later, Cliff walked up to the snoozing animal with a blue fashionable leash, with white paw prints all over. He started poking him awake a few times as he prepared himself to offer the accessory to the determined dog in his brave state of mind. The dog opened up his other eye in irritated motion as he shifted his sights on the smiling cat.

"Hey dog, would ya try this nice 'n snazzy new collar on fer me 'n tell me how it fits?" He asked.

Charles hesitated. "Not now, cat! I'm waitin' for the mailman!"

Cliff glanced at the reader before looking back at the dog. "C'mon, dog! I just wanted ta see how it looks on you. That's all I'll askin' for."

Charles pushed the leash aside. "I told ya, I don't have time fer that!"

Geo was outside of his ball. He watched the two communicate from yards away as he was busy tying the leash to a post that he didn't remember seeing in the yard. It was deep down into the soil, so there was a chance that it may stay stationary for the entire plan of the cat and the hamster. As he finished up, he stood back and signaled the cat that he was all set on his part before the cat looked back over the dog, growing more irritated about his persistence.

He sighed as he was about to give in. He was desperate to get the cat to shut his yap. "If I try it on, would ya leave me be so I can get back to my lookout?"

Cliff extended his paw with the leash to the dog as a way of saying yes. Charles rolled his eyes before he finally gave in, as it would only take a couple seconds of his time. "Fine." The canine grabbed hold of it and equipped it on around his neck just before the mailman arrived at the Loud house seconds later into their action.

The man looked around as his tension built up as if it was about to skyrocket. He was afraid he was gonna get attacked the same way it happened yesterday morning. But nope. He had to get the job done, no matter what will happen to him. He didn't know why the dog had the nerve to attack him or anything. He may not like it, but it's like a daily routine, and it's how it worked.

He tip-toed over to the front door in hopes of not drawing any attention to Charles before he made it to the front door of the house. He dropped the mail on the doormat below before walking back on the sidewalk to finish the rest of his shift. As he descended down a step or two, a noticeable creak omitted loud enough to draw attention to the dog. He turned around and saw the man standing still as he broke a sweat or two, hoping he wouldn't go after him.

But depending on the events that happened yesterday, he was extremely incorrect.

Charles was confident and ready for round two now. The man's sudden appearance exhorted the angry white dog as he growled, pawing down on the lawn as he snorted with a smirk on his face. He began to charge towards the human being. His heart sank as he tried to make a run for it.

 _YANK!_

Charles was pulled back a few inches by the cord tied to both the collar and the post from behind him, influencing the man to stop running and to watch the dog get restrained. He was confused as to how this happened as he shook his head for a few seconds.

The mailman thought the dog's incident was so funny, he decided to taunt the dog just for the fun of it. "What's the matter, dumb mutt? Don't wanna bite down on the seat of my pants?" he laughed slightly shaking his butt towards the animal.

Charles grew even more infuriated as he blushed while Cliff snickered at the pup. He wanted to get the cat back somehow but he focused on the human being more. His taunting influenced the canine to rip the collar clean off his neck, throwing it down on the grass as it caught the feline off guard before he zipped over to the unsuspecting mailman, still laughing from his taunting. Unfortunately for him, he paid no attention to the animal for seconds, giving old angry Charles an opportunity to bite his butt again. He barked loudly before his jaws clamped down on the human's buttocks tighter than the last encounter.

 _CHOMP!_

The human screamed at the top of his lungs as he jumped up a good feet or two as the snarling canine ripped a portion of his pants again, this time bigger than the last. He placed his palms on his butt, running away screaming as if he just saw a horrid creature roaming the streets. "That's it! I'm not doing this stupid job anymore!" he yelled. Charles was victorious yet again. He sat down, chewing thoroughly on the torn piece of denim as he stared off into the horizon.

Walt flew over on top the dog. "Wow! That was awesome!" he praised.

Cliff and Geo walked next to them with their dissatisfaction expressions towards the canine. "No, that was _not_ awesome!" the cat bluntly stated before looking to the hamster. "I can't believe this plan of ours didn't work, Ham."

"What's gotten into you, dog?" Geo questioned.

Charles spat out the piece of denim he chewed on. "Hey, y'all saw him shakin' his big fat butt in front of my face. He had it comin', ya knew he did!" the pup protested with a vicious attitude.

"But, that's no reason ta mutilate his clothin' over somethin' like that!" Cliff said with a disappointed shrug. "Now I know somethin' that'll help with this problem of yours."

Cliff grabbed the dog's arm. "C'mon."

Charles resisted. "Whoa whoa whoa, hold up cat. Where do ya think you're takin' me?"

The feline was filled with determination as he pulled on the dog after each sentence he spoke. "Stop it! Ya need. Ta get. Some help!"

Ten Minutes Later

The dog and the cat were inside Lynn and Lucy's room now as Walt and Geo decided to eavesdrop on the two animals from the other side of the doorway. Cliff laid Charles down on the bed of the thirteen-year-old sports athlete as he laid a paw on the canine's head. Charles softly whined as he didn't know what was happening while Cliff was ready to get the procedure started as he asked the dog a couple of questions.

"Now dog," Cliff softly said. "I want ya ta calmly explain ta me somethin'."

Charles noticed a weird smell inside the room and decided to point it out. "...Why it really smells in here?"

"Must be a dutch oven in here or somethin'- Wait _no_!" Cliff shook his head. "What I'm tryin' ta ask is... do ya have somethin' against that mailman for the past two encounters?"

"Nope." Charles answered.

"...So why did ya have ta bite him down on his butt?"

Charles looked blankly into the eyes of the domesticated cat. He exhaled slowly through his wet nose as he gave him his valid answer. "You're tellin' me that ya didn't see a thing the human did as it happened right in front of us?"

"Well... yeah, I-"

"The way _I_ see it cat, those kind of humans love to step into my territory like it's no big deal. He doesn't seem ta heed my warnin' every time he sees me around. Ya thought he'd learn his lesson after his first encounter ta tell 'em ta back off, but nope! He wanted another round of me and I tore that butt up real good! Hence why they call me the _bull_ dog."

"But dog, that's just the mailman doin' his everyday job!" Cliff reassured. "It's not like he's some kind of mean jerk threatenin' ta take away our home, he'd be dressed in all black in that _suitcase_." The cat winked as Charles grew irritated with the joke.

"Cat, stop it. No more of those puns, please." the dog bluntly commanded.

Cliff hesitated as his ears flopped for a quick second. "Alright fine, but what if he sues?"

"He ain't gonna sue." Charles answered confidently as he motioned his head horizontally. "He just needs ta get it through his head that he ain't welcome here. I don't care what he's gotta do ta get his job done, as long as he doesn't set foot on my territory!"

Cliff thought to himself for a brief moment as he figured that it's not the human being that caused the elicit reaction of Charles to attack him but rather something that related to attire. "Could it be 'cause of that outfit he's wearin'...?"

Charles thought to himself as well, thinking that could be the answer for his actions. "Roh no..." He was temporarily saddened as he kept the conversation going, but not before letting out a long sigh before doing so. "Cat, I think ya might be right. Here I am thinkin' it's an everyday thing dogs do, which it is, and it's one of my favorite things ta do in the mornin'. I'm a professional at it! This whole time, in my own mind, I've portrayed him like he's posin' a threat ta this house. But it turns out, as much as I really hate ta admit it right now, he's not such a bad guy after all the second I got a whiff of his big blue posterior as I was tearin' through his clothes. It's not the human that's the problem, it's the dumb uniform! All I was really tryin' ta do was protect what matters the most: This family, and my pals. There is a nice human bein' under those clothes, doin' his job deliverin' mail and now he's quittin' his job, all because of me."

The poor canine shielded his eyes in shame for the events that occurred for the past two days now. "What kind of an animal I've become after what happened..." He softly whimpered to himself as Cliff went over to stroke his canine head in comfort.

"You're a good, docile little pup my canine friend." Cliff said. "A happy and playful animal that everyone in the family knows 'n loves."

"Aw shucks." Charles commented. "Thanks for those upliftin' words." He looked down again, growing more sympathetic. "But what am I gonna do ta make it up ta him?"

The door creaked open as Walt and Geo entered the room with a sorry attitude. The hamster offered a plan to the sad pup in hopes to solve the problem. "It looks like there's only one thing to do, dog."

Charles sighed. "You're right, Ham."

8:00am - The Morning After Next

The dog slept in his doghouse once again, listening to the birds chirping in the trees all morning. Up until he heard footsteps, he woke up as he sighed. "I can't believe I'm doin' this. But it's for my pals here at the house." He proceeded to head to the back of the house and infiltrate the kitchen through the doggy door.

It was the mailman again, approaching the Loud House for the third time. What was he doing back in the Royal Woods neighborhood? He said he would quit after encountering the same white canine twice this week. But it turns out, he was happy about something. Cliff, Geo and Walt were confused as they all wondered why as they looked at the human being through the living room window. "C'mon dog... let it go." the hamster uttered.

"Ya sure this is gonna work?" Cliff said.

"Only one way to find out." Walt answered.

The mailman looked around the yard for the dog, only this time he wasn't around for him to be bitten in the butt again for the third time. He slowly approached the house with a chuckle. "Ha. Looks like these residents managed to get their dumb mutt under control!" he said as he finally arrived at the door. "Although I should thank 'em. Half a year in along with some of my dignity left from doing this job and they decided to add in two dollars to my raise, as opposed to just the minimum wage!"

He dropped the mail on the doormat below before he turned away and walked back to the sidewalk. "I guess the lesson here is, no matter what you have to go through to get a job done, it always pays off in the end!"

He whistled as he went off into the horizon for the last time. The three pets were surprised as Charles didn't do anything to the man ever since he arrived. They all wondered where the dog was to a plan they didn't think he'd take too seriously.

"I don't believe this." Walt said. "It actually worked?"

"If that's the case, where's the dog now?" Geo asked with a small amount of concern to show.

Seconds of trying to figure out the current location of Charles, one of the pets in the household was about to become breakfast.

 _CHOMP!_

Cliff felt something chomp down on his rear end, influencing him to meow loudly in pain as he turned around to see who it was. It really was Charles, smirking as if he were victorious once again for his actions. They all looked blankly at him as they were too amazed to even compliment him.

Anger and curiosity filled the cat. "What the heck was that for, dog?"

Charles snapped and pointed towards Cliff as he gave him a little wink. "That's fer trickin' me with that snazzy cool collar! Guess who's the _butt_ of the joke now?"

He laughed at the feline along with Walt and Geo as Cliff rubbed his rump, comforting the pain as he glared at the three animals.

* * *

 **~End~**

 **A/N: Don't forget, I'm always open to suggestions you might have, as long as they're a family-friendly topic.**


	14. The Party Pound

_Story 13: The Party Pound_

 **A/N: Hello! This week's story is gonna be a special one, so this one will be two times the length from the rest of the stories. The series has reached their first milestone of syndication today! Of course this series still has long ways to go so after this story, it's going on a small hiatus to catch a break from writing to find time to whip up some new potential ideas for more Loud Pet stories. Also, don't forget I'm open to any suggestions focusing on the pets as long as they're friendly topics.**

 **Shoutouts to MuppetSpot, LoudAutomata16, Froggy03, WNH74, Dustin-James_Lee, RandomGuy, Jaylop97 for the unanimous decision, and followers of the series. This one is for you!**

 **So, with that out of the way, how about you have a little fun tonight and throw down with your four animal friends down in the Loud House? My little treat to you, readers!**

* * *

Charles the dog popped up as he looked down to the reader now. " _Whoa!_ Are ya serious?" he said. "We get ta throw a party? I can't believe it! This is amazin'!"

He happily wagged his tail as he swiped his wet tongue up across the reader's computer screen out of pure joy and excitement, leaving a small trail of saliva behind. "I've been waitin' for somethin' like this fer a long while now!"

He stepped a couple feet back from the reader as he whipped out a list as it rolled open for about a yard. "I've got the whole shindig all planned out! A DJ set, dancin', party games, social gatherin', snacks, pizza 'n soda, even a special performance 'n all sorts of fun stuff ta do today! And best of all, lotsa animal pals ya know are gonna be here! And yer invited! I mean, what's a wild animal party... without ya?"

Cliff the cat walked into the scene with a smile along with Walt the canary and Geo the hamster. "Heya dog," the cat said, influencing the dog to lose his grip on the party list. "What's goin' on here?"

The neutral black feline looked at the reader for a brief moment, with a stunned reaction left on his face. "Eh, why's the reader's face all slobbery?" He whipped a rag out and dried off the reader's computer screen until it was clean and dry, before he paid his undivided attention back to the enthusiastic white canine. "This is like the fourth wall ya broke so far."

"Well look who's talkin' there, cat." Charles said with a neutral expression on his face. "Anyway, today's the day, my friends! We're officially throwin' a wild party!"

The three animals were in shock. They never thought a day like this filled with an awesome opportunity would strike down upon the four animals. They prompted to cheer as loud as they could, as meows, howls, chirps and chatters filled the living room interior for a good portion of a minute.

"Ah, a party!" Cliff said. "We haven't had one of those!"

"Wow! Are you for reals?" Geo said with a happy smile.

"This isn't some kind of cruel joke is it?" Walt added as he wasn't completely sure if it was true with a small little glare at the dog.

"Not at all, bird!" Charles answered without any hesitation to show. "Who woulda thought we'd get a chance ta make somethin' like this happen?"

"You know, if we really wanted to, we could've done this at any time nobody's in this house." Walt answered with a confused look.

"Well, yeah. But ya mustn't forget about good timin', bird." Charles responded. "And the timin's just right for this case!"

"Looks that way, yeah!" Cliff agreed. "What's gonna happen at the party, dog?"

Charles handed over the list he initially prepared over to the curious cat. "Read 'em 'n weep, pals."

Walt and Geo stood behind Cliff as the three pets scanned through the list together. They expressed a big smile on their face for each second they read it. "This... is astoundin'!" Cliff reacted.

"Wow, it's so flawless!" Walt and Geo said simultaneously.

The dog chuckled as he crossed his arms. "Thank ya much!"

"This is gonna be so much fun!" Geo happily said.

"So what are we waitin' for, guys?" Cliff questioned the three pets. "Let's all get ta work 'n finally make this a reality!"

Unanimous cheering emitted from the four household pets for a second before they settled down as Charles took the list back from Cliff, assigning the animals a task from the list, one by one. "Alright everybody, here's what we gonna do." Charles said, before he gestured towards Walt. "Bird, you 'n me will order pizza, 'n loads of it. Cat, you bust out the fizzy pop 'n treats. Ham, you take care of the turntables 'n those hard hittin' jams!"

"I'll be the _snack_ of all trades, 'n the king of pop!" Cliff answered.

"I _turn_ to live!" Geo added with a smile.

Walt gestured an OK sign with one of his wings as he winked.

Charles looked at the three animals. Things were about to get serious. "Alright pals, let's bust a move!" The four Loud pets all zipped to their positions around the house.

Walt flew over to the landline telephone with Charles carrying a phone book from behind. He flipped through several of the pages for some seconds until he managed to find a number to order the pies.

"Alright bird, here ya go!" the dog said as he showed the canary the number to dial. Walt carefully examined the page before he lifted the handset off of the cradle, soon dropping it down on the carpet floor. He started to peck away at the number pad of the telephone, inputting the number in before the phone started to receive some transmission as it connected to the pizza restaurant. The dog and the bird approached the handset before they heard a voice coming through the speaker.

"Hello, thank you for calling Ready Radbears Pizza. How can I help you today?" an employee said over the line, influencing Charles and Walt to wink at each other with a big smile.

Cliff zipped inside the kitchen interior, looking around for the treats and beverages to break out for the party. He stopped to think for a quick moment as he scratched his feline head, figuring out where the treats might be. "Hmm... I wonder..." he uttered to himself, but not before he squinted his eyes that gave him the determination that he needed.

The black feline approached the counter top before he executed a big leap to the surface. He smiled as he had a good old feeling he knew where the good stuff was being stored in the kitchen. He stood on his two hind legs tall and proud as he grabbed onto the handle of one of the pantry doors, opening it wide without a sudden change in the cat's speed.

There they were, all the boxes and bags of AnyPets, Meowz, peanut butter and milk bones they could get their furry little paws on to munch on. Cliff's own irises turned into stars as he found the pet treats sitting there in the pantry as he happily said just one word to describe it all. "Jackpot!"

He grabbed all of the treats he could with a big ol' smile on his frisky feline face. "Oh yeah! We're bustin' out the good stuff!"

The moment he said this, he unfortunately stepped on a small puddle of tap water on the surface of the counter top. His hind paw slid across the surface as he meowed loudly as he fell down flat on his back on the kitchen floor, as the pet treats came raining down all over the fallen black feline.

"Me-ouch." the black feline uttered in pain as he stroked his head to soothe his head pain.

Geo was upstairs inside Lincoln's tight bedroom, outside of his transparent little ball, testing out the turntables to prepare himself for a disc jockey set he planned to throw down at the upcoming party. He started running around on one of the turntables as it oscillates at a decent enough speed for the brown hamster to handle. "I have to say," he said to the reader. "This is actually pretty cool I get to do this! It's like rolling around in my ball, except it never ends!"

He jumped off the turntable and onto Lincoln's unoccupied laptop, hopping around on the keyboard to search for songs to play for his performance. The screen pulls up a list of songs that were currently on the kid's desktop as Geo examined the list very carefully, making his selections on what he wanted to play. "This one sounds promising, definitely not this. Ew, gross! Eh, maybe..."

He decided to do a play through of some of the track selections he made as he clicked on one of the tracks, aptly titled " _Barkin' Up a Storm by Dyna and Mite_ ". The track in question blasted out a simple beat and a melody with sounds of barking added into the groove.

Geo was honestly intrigued. "That's actually... pretty nice." He thought to himself. "I wonder if there's any tracks about me?"

He skimmed through the list of songs on the eleven year old's laptop, attempting to find anything that sounded the least bit related about his kind of species. He looked at the reader. "It couldn't hurt to look around I suppose."

Back downstairs in the living room, Charles hung up the telephone as he and the bird finished placing their order for the pizza pies to deliver to the Loud House as soon as possible. "Our work here is done!" the dog said to the canary.

"Ten extra large pizza pies, huh?" Walt said. "That sure is a whole lot of dough."

"Speakin' of dough, how we gonna pay for 'em?" Charles asked. "We ain't got no money!"

Walt thought to himself for a small period of time. He might have something that'll work but it'll take some precise planning to execute it without exposing a flaw. "I think I know what to do," the bird said. "But we might need to get the cat in on this..."

Charles gave Walt a thumbs up. "Gotcha, bird."

Cliff opened up the refrigerator door. He found a section of the fridge interior occupied with cases of soda pop, assorted with several different flavors. "Hello carbonated beverages," he said. "Today's the day you're gonna be all drunk up by us animals."

He grabbed a case one by one and set them on the checkered floor beside him. It may have taken him a while to do so but that didn't matter. He closed the refrigerator door before he went at it with the cases soon after, opening up the boxes one by one to place them into a white and roomy cooler sitting right next to his other side. "Alrighty, that's one part down. Now for the ice!"

He went back to the fridge again, only to be stopped midway by Charles and Walt.

"Hey cat!" the dog said, grabbing his attention as the two pets smiled on.

"I gotta do somethin' else for the party?" Cliff assumed, with a curious look on his face. Charles and Walt glanced at each other for a second before they looked back over to the feline.

"Well.. I guess ya could say that." Charles answered.

"We just finished up our part ordering the pizza pies," Walt said.

"How much did ya guys order?" Cliff asked.

"Ten extra large pizza pies!" Charles said.

Cliff was left in a rather surprised state. "Whoa! You guys really must be rakin' in the dough!"

"But that's the problem cat," Charles stated concernedly, influencing the feline to stop acting surprised. "We ain't got money!"

Walt grew more eclectic with each second that passed. "This is the part where we ask you for your help with the plan we're trying to piece together, that's if you're up for it."

Cliff hesitated for a bit as he stared blankly at the neutral dog and the bird before he curiously asked to partake in their potential plan. "What do I have ta do?"

Thirty Minutes Later

The sound of a doorbell came a ringing from the front door of the Loud house. A middle aged pizza delivery man had finally arrived with the ten pizza pies the two animals ordered. Little did he know that he was in for a rather unexpected surprise as soon as the front door slowly creaked open.

There was absolutely nobody present inside of the house. The interior looked eerily similar to some sort of vacant house, that has been haunted in the peripheral vision of the human being as all the lights were off at the moment.

The pizza man started quivering. "Hello? Is anybody here?"

Silence took place for a good amount of seconds before he just stood there quietly, but not before taking a small gulp before doing so.

Charles was at the side of the open kitchen doorway, peeking on the clueless human at the door. He signaled the canary who was just next to the fridge with a good wink. That was Walt's cue to bring him a can of whipped cream as he flew over to the devious smiling pooch. They think the animals got this little plan of theirs in the bag.

As the dog grabbed a hold of the can of whipped cream, he sprayed a good amount of the sweet topping down his canine gullet. He used one of his paws to wipe off the excess of the cream and applied it around his mouth as it he appeared as a rabid animal. Oh, that'll sure fool plenty of people once the man gets a good glimpse of the dog now.

Charles looked all the way determined now. He promptly gave the bird a thumbs up before he finally put his part of the plan into action.

The pizza man was growing more anxious by the second. He wanted to leave now, believing this was some sort of prank call but a the same time, he was destined to get those big bucks. "I've got ten extra large pepperoni pizzas addressed to this house. The total comes to a hundred and fifty bucks..."

It's about to happen, fast. He heard footsteps approaching fast. He started quivering even more as he now feared that someone was going to attack him. But as it turned out for him, that fearful suspicion of his was about to turn into a complete reality.

In three...

Two...

One...

Charles jumped out in front of the front door, snarling and barking as fake foam streamed out of his mouth. This influenced the man to scream and walk back a couple inches before he dropped the stack of pizza pies on the doormat below and made a run for it back into his motorized scooter, with no cash money obtained whatsoever as the dog walked inches outside the door.

This was Cliff's cue to drag the stack of pizza pies inside the house as the man's back was turned before Charles came back in, influencing the cat to close the front door. The pizza guy realized in a freak panic, he forgot the get the money for delivering the pies. He approached back to the house, several feet away from the front door as he was still shook from the surprise he got.

"Hey! Where's my money for the pizza?" he yelled as he shook his fist in the air.

The front door opened back up now. Cliff threw some change in he found out the door totaling up to about at least two dollars in coins before the door slammed shut once more. "Take it or leave it!" he loudly said behind the closed door.

The man was confused, but at least he got at least some cash for the order. He sighed in mere disappointment before he went ahead and collected the coins the feline threw out onto the walkway. Something was better than nothing at all. He walked back to his motorized scooter in despair before he drove back to work.

Walt looked out the living room window to check if the man was gone. He was. Their plan worked out better than they thought. The three Loud pets all cheered to a job well done before they all smiled towards each other.

"That went pretty well you guys!" Walt said.

"Great thinkin' with that little foamin' mouth trick, dog!" Cliff happily commented.

Charles wagged his tail as he gulped the whipped cream down before he licked off the excess all around his mouth. "Ah it's no big deal, really!" He smiled as he gave a wink.

"Is that everything on the list?" Walt asked out of his curiosity.

"Are we forgettin' anythin'?" Cliff added.

Charles whipped out the same list as it rolled out about a yard just like the last time, which happened to be earlier today. He read off the contents of the list for a few seconds as he looked around the house before it's confirmed that everything was good and ready to go. "Doesn't seem like we're missin' anythin'!" He threw the list aside. "Looks like we're all set!"

Cliff and Walt gasped a bit before they both smiled as Geo joined the two doing the exact same thing outside of his ball.

"Alright, pals!" Cliff said before an enthusiastic Charles, Walt and Geo all joined in together, simultaneously.

"Let's—"

* * *

 _"PARTY!"_

The living room was very dim with lights oscillating around the interior. Geo's ball was decorated as it received a flashy appearance now. It was dangling from the ceiling, acting as a disco ball as it slowly oscillated around the room. It was packed with several of the pets' friends along with Izzy the lizard, Hops the frog, Fangs the bat and Gary the hare attending the party now. Most of the animals got their groove on in the middle of the room as house music was currently blasting through Luna's amplifiers as a select few attendees stood back, munching on pet treats.

Charles, Geo and Walt all sat back and observed the successful outcome of this party with a huge smile on their face as they munched on their individual slices of pizza while Cliff was next to them, rocking it out hard.

"Yo! Can ya believe this, guys?" Cliff questioned the three pets.

"It's so awesome!" Geo answered.

"I can clearly see it with my own eyes." Walt added.

"I know right?" Charles answered. "Livin' the life long dream we've all been waitin' for since the day we got a roof over our heads!"

Another animal friend approached the four titular pets. It was Watterson, their former enemy and now best friend! He came to communicate with them for a brief moment.

"Hey you guys!" Watterson spoke with a little wave of his foreleg.

Charles gave the little fluffball a cool fist bump. "Hey! Wassup, mah dawg?"

"How ya doin', kid?" Cliff added.

Watterson ran around in circles with flair. "Not much! It's been so long since we've last seen each other! I still have to thank you guys for breaking me out of that awful pound!"

"Aw, it was nothin'!" Charles said.

"Ya gotta love increased aptitude!" Cliff lampshaded.

"You could say that again, cat." Charles said. "You guys gotta check out my pal Rosato when she gets here. She can draw up a real mean portrait!"

"I love being a smart animal." Geo said to himself.

Walt smiled at the hamster. "Don't we all? Now I've got a date with some party games!" He began to fly off. "See y'all in ten!"

Watterson turned his attention back on the white canine. "Hey, you wanna come mingle with me along with a couple friends as we bury our faces in peanut butter?"

Charles agreed without even missing a single beat. "Oh hecks yeah!" he said before the little fluffball wandered off. He followed the pup from behind only for Cliff to interrupt him for a quick minute or two by placing his fore paw on the dog's back.

"Dog, wait." the cat said. "I just remembered somethin'. Since we promised everybody here a party performance, could ya get the rabbit to do the job while I go-"

"No time fer that, cat!" Charles interrupted the feline back. "I've got me an opportunity ta sniff some new butts here at this party! Handle that yerself!" He happily barked as he zipped off into the dining room interior without hesitation, leaving the sighing cat and the hamster in the same spot.

Confusion and disgust filled Geo. "Oh, gross! Why does he even wanna do that in the first place?"

Cliff answered the hamster with these exact words reading his lips. "I'll tell ya once the readers aren't here. But honestly, at least it's more tolerable than him tryin' ta mark his territory on the couch."

"Dogs are such weird creatures." Geo said.

"Eh, life's weird." Cliff corrected.

Cliff walked away from Geo, intending to approach Gary for a little task. That is if he's up for the job. "I've gotta see if the rabbit's gonna do somethin' real quick."

"And I've got some potential jams to scratch!" Geo said before he made his way to the turntables.

The cat was beside the rabbit now. He was exhausted from all the dance moves he managed to pull off for a good ten minutes or so. He wiped off his forehead as if he was doing yard work in hot weather, broiling up his tender white skin. Cliff poked the rabbit, grabbing his undivided attention.

"Heya rabbit, would ya mind showin' off a little performance for the party?" he asked.

"Well sure thing!" Gary responded. "I got you covered... who is that?!"

"Meow?"

Another animal approached the rabbit and the cat at the wrong time. It was another bunny named Fiona, with a light grey tint on her fur, wearing a white dress along with a flower stapled on top. She looked like something that came completely out of a popular magazine cover. Gary and Cliff stood there, staring at the attractive rabbit in stunned silence as they were too surprised to even think.

"Oh... wow!" Cliff said in a hushed tone, uncontrollably moving his tail around. She strutted towards the two animals as their eyes were quickly taken over by hearts as they blushed at the exact same time.

"Hey there, boys." Fiona said with a smile on her face.

Oh my. Cliff and Gary were having a hard time keeping it together. They continued to stare directly at the dressed rabbit until she decided to literally snap them out of it. They shook their heads as they collected themselves for a second before they decided to make a first impression.

"Heya! Name's Clifford!" the cat said, extending his fore paw out for a shake as the lady bunny shook his paw. "But I simply go by Cliff."

"Nice name. Reminds me of something big, and red." Fiona complimented the black feline before he brushed it off like it's not that big of a deal.

"Aw, that's what they all say."

"I'm Gary!" the white bunny said, nervously stroking his head.

"Well hello there, Cliff and Gary," she said before introducing herself. "My name's Fiona. Hope that's an easy one to remember for y'all."

"Oh yes, it is." Gary said.

"It's a beautiful name ya got there." Cliff added.

"Can I ask you something, Fiona my dear?" Gary requested to a confident dressed rabbit.

"Sure, what is it?"

Gary blushed as if he were about to ask something really embarrassing. "I was wondering if you're any good with... math."

Confusion filled Fiona. "What do you mean by that?"

"Like multiplication, division, fractions, et cetera. Especially the first subject. I'm real terrible at it."

Fiona smirked. "I think you had me at the very first subject."

Her response influenced Gary's ears to perk all the way up. He was enthusiastic now that he found some bunny to help him with his basics. "Woo hoo! How about we head upstairs and you be my tutor?"

"Okay!" she said, before Gary yanked her as they both zipped up the stairs and into the hallway as the two rabbits occupied themselves into a bedroom.

"W-wait!" Cliff yelled out, before he realized it was too late to make a change. Cliff was left alone now. "Aw, dang it! Now what am I gonna do?" His anxiety built up as he scratched his feline head, trying to figure out what to do now that he assumed Gary turned down the offer.

Over in the dining room, Charles and his canine friends were having a little contest take place. The white dog and an Australian shepherd named Ajax had soda bottles ready to drink as they both made a toast to a party well thrown so far. His friends all chanted "chug" as the two dogs drank the soft beverage right down their gullets all the way until the last drop before they cheered the two on for leaving such an impression.

Charles and Ajax both let out a huge belch that filled up almost the entire room before they chucked their bottles behind them, but not before giving each other high fives before doing so.

"Nice one, Ajax!" Charles commented.

The shepherd chuckled. "You too, Charles."

Charles' determination kicked in. He wanted to see if he could outwit his friend in who had the louder belch. He smiled at the dog. "Hey! We should probably go another round! If yer up for it!"

The shepherd smirked. "What? Ya tellin' me ya can burp louder than me?"

Charles had to be confident. Win or lose, it was all about hanging out with friends and having a good time all together. "Wanna eat those words of yours, my friend? I love ta take a challenge."

The last word Charles spoke influenced Ajax to hold no qualms. He was willing enough to accept the white canine's challenge as he picked up two more bottles of soda. "You're on, dawg."

The Australian shepherd tossed another bottle to Charles before they both wagged their tails with a smirk on their faces as they made another toast.

Watterson was in the crowd of canines cheering and chanting once more. His face deep in a jar of peanut butter like he was in a dream that was too good to be true. He pulled his face out and licked some of the butter off his lips. "This is getting intense!" the little tyke said before giggling. "You can do it, Charles!"

Walt flew past the pack of cheering dogs into the living room. He performed a unique barrel roll as he locked on target with a piece of paper expertly taped onto the living room wall. That happened to be a crudely drawn picture of Corinne with stink lines all over, a vile woman who worked at the Green Mile Pet Sanctuary. It was a perfect party game for Walt to unleash some of his aggression on, as well as some other animals that have been caught in her wrath.

The yellow canary's beak penetrated her chest as the other birds cheered him on. Seconds passed by before he pulled his beak out of the wall, devilishly smiling at the face of the vile woman as if he just bested her for once. "Take that, you good for nothing son of a cur!"

A blue bird named Kevin, a friend of Walt's praised the canary for the brutal insult. "Woo, you tell 'er, Walt!"

"Bwak! She's a good for nothin' cur indeed!" Puga the red-tailed black cockatoo added as he flew next to Walt, squinting his eyes in his feisty attitude.

Walt sighed in relief. "I feel a little bit better now, getting that jerk off my mind after it's been stuck inside my head for a year, four months and two weeks."

"Wow. Looks like it was totally worth it after that long! Perhaps when you see her again, you should definitely poop on her icky old uniform!" Kevin said to the canary.

"It was indeed, Kev," Walt winked before he giggled. "And I think I might just do that. A little promise I'm willing to make for you, dude!"

The group of birds laughed as one of them was up to take their aggression out on the human being. Cliff walked under them in small circles, his anxiety grew even bigger than ever, wondering what to do for a party performance.

"Aw no. What do I do, what do I do?" he mumbled over and over up until the McBride's two kittens, Cleopawtra and Nepurrtiti approached the anxious cat.

"Hey there!" the orange cat said, influencing a small jumping reaction from Cliff. "Why the anxious display?"

Cliff stared at the two felines as if this were the first conversation with each other. "...H-have we met before?"

Cleopawtra giggled. "'Fraid not!" She extended her paw, introducing herself as she hugged the nervous lavender kitten with the other. "I'm Cleopawtra, and this is my little sister, Nepurrtiti."

"Hi, mister!" Nepurrtiti greeted in her sweet voice, but not before waving to the smiling Cliff.

"Heya, little one!" Cliff greeted back with a little wave before he shook paws with the orange feline. "I'm Clifford. But I usually go by Cliff."

Cleopawtra smiled as the name of the black cat sparked a thought in her head. "Well don't you have a cute name that reminds me of somethin' big 'n red."

Cliff sighed for a quick moment before he brushed the comment off for a second time. "Aw, that's what they all say."

The feline of the Loud family was desperate for some help. "Anyway, you wanna help me out with somethin'?" he asked.

Cleopawtra thought to herself for a bit. "Well, we here hopin' for to mingle around and show off our dance moves for a little bit but sure!"

"Actually, what I'm about ta ask ya is exactly what you were plannin' ta do!" Cliff smiled.

"Oh, really? This oughta be intriguing." The cat giggled. "But quick question: can ya gals sing?"

 _"Most definitely, my dear Cliff!"_ Cleopawtra sang.

"That's _purrfect!_ Now, we just gotta find Darin 'n David 'n see if they're down!" Cliff said. "Come along!"

Cliff lead the cats to the upstairs hallway as the trio of felines made their way to an unoccupied bedroom to plan out some ideas. "You two stay here and whip up some good rhymes," Cliff said to the two sisters as they gave him their thumbs up. "I'm gonna go look fer my two pals. Might be down there somewhere." He went back downstairs, leading back to the living room floor to find the two other cats he was looking for. There weren't any cats in the interior.

He gulped.

The feline scratched his head, wondering where they might be as he remembered them showing up about almost an hour prior. He saw a pack of dogs, along with Charles and Watterson approaching the living room to get some more of their wild moves in while they still could.

He pulled the docile white pit bull aside, in need of a quick request. "Dog, two cats! Have ya seen 'em around?"

The feline got Charles thinking now. He remembered seeing a couple felines earlier since he and his canine friends chased a couple out. "I think there's a couple outside in the back, why?"

Cliff pushed the canine aside. "Thanks!" He came sprinting towards the doggy door in the kitchen now. As he made contact with the door, he got a little surprise he wasn't expecting at all.

 _CRASH!_

His feline face came crashing into the stationary doggy door, not even moving a single inch. He fell down to the floor as his eyes spun around like a disk jockey record. Seconds of trying to shake off the pain passed by before the kitchen door suddenly opened from the outside.

It was Cliff's feline friends. Darin, who has white and fluffy fur, and David, who also has the same appearance as Darin, only embellished with some black on his fur as he munched down on a slice of pizza. The former greeted the fallen cat after staring down at him for some seconds.

"Eh... what's down, Cliff?" he said before letting out a quick chuckle.

"This is some real good pizza." David added while his mouth was full.

Cliff gestured his paw to interrupt as if he thought he was going to pull off a joke. "Not now, Darin," he said, before he got up on his fours again. "I need yer help."

The two cats blankly glanced at each other for a short time. Perplexed expressions filled them as they turned back to the black feline.

"Help ya with what, mate?" David asked.

"Trust me," Cliff answered in little pain. "You'll see in a second."

Back in the living room, Geo was having a blast. He was spinning around on the turntables as wild house music came blasting from beneath the equipment. The animals were having a good time moving their bodies to the rhythm of the music as they chanted for the little brown hamster. Unbeknownst to every single animal inside the house, they were also in for a surprise they never saw coming.

The front door came busting open as it cued a very well placed needle scratch, causing Geo to fall off the turntables and onto the floor. That cue influenced every animal in the interior to stop doing what they're doing and shifted their attention to the front door. Everyone gasped.

Oh no!

It was the brainy baby of the house, Lily Loud.

"Poo-poo." she uttered, squinting her eyes as she crossed her arms.

* * *

Of course, not one single animal would have predicted a young little baby out of all human beings in Royal Woods to crash a party like this. Charles and Walt's hearts dropped as the two took notice of her standing there outside the front door with the feeling of disappointment presented her face. All of the animals stood there in shock as if they were caught in the act, doing something they weren't supposed to be doing. All they knew was that they were all busted, and there was nothing they could do, until the baby did something the pets never thought she would actually do at this very moment.

Lily deviously smiled at the animals as she tore her diaper clean off of her body as it rendered her completely naked, waving it around as if it were a shirt. " _Party!_ " she happily shouted.

All the animals in the living room cheered her on thunderously as she turned out to be just as wild as they were. She waddled into the house, closing the door from behind. Charles and Walt sighed in great relief as they smiled towards each other. Though the latter was still surprised on what just happened.

"Wowza... that kid is super brave for doing that." Walt said to the dog.

"She can be real unpredictable, I'll give ya that." Charles said. "This is one big wacky family after all, bird."

"Oh, you can definitely say that again, dog." Walt said with a subtle giggle.

One of Charles' puppy friends approached him from behind with a paintbrush in her mouth and poked him on the back. It was the dog that Charles was talking about earlier in the day that can draw really great portraits free of charge for friends.

"Hey, Charles!" Rosato said with a smile but not before wagging her tail. "I have that portrait ready for ya."

Charles got his hopes up high. He was waiting for her quality work of art for a good while now assuming all the masterpieces the canine artist has presented in the past. He wagged his tail in a swift and frantic motion. " _Aroooo!_ " the dog howled. "Show me, girl!"

Rosato walked up the stairs to the hallway, followed closely behind by Charles. Walt's bird friends, Kevin and Puga flew to the lone canary, asking him to join in on another shenanigan they're doing.

"Hey Walt, you up for another party game or not?" Kevin asked.

"Puga always up for peckin' human beings!" Puga devilishly added.

"No, not that!"

Walt answered the two birds without hesitating one second. "Alright. Does it involve imitation, pranks, or poo?"

"Come with us and find out!" Kevin smiled as he and Puga flew to the kitchen, with Walt following the other birds there from closely behind.

Upstairs, Cleopawtra and Nepurrtiti were still together in the bedroom of Lori and Leni, thinking up words to sing. The lavender kitten spotted something in the hallway that caught her attention for a few seconds. It was just a simple old sign hanging right on the doorknob with the initials _D.N.D_.

"Sister?" Nepurrtiti questioned.

The orange feline casually responded "What is it? You have somethin' on your mind?"

Nepurrtiti pointed to the door across the hall. "You think something's going on in there? What does it mean?"

Cleopawtra answered her sister as simple as she possibly could as she patted the lavender kitten on the head with a smirk. "I'll tell ya later when we get back to our home."

Cliff casually walked back into the room with Darin and David following from behind. "Alright lads, I got 'em here!"

"Alright, Cliffy my boy," David said. "What's all this about now?"

Cliff closed the door from behind. He cleared his throat before he inhaled and exhaled. "Okay. Here's the deal. Since no other animal here at this party were willin' ta help me out since a certain rabbit ended up ditchin' me fer solvin' math problems, I've gathered all of ya here for a rockin' performance for every animal here today."

"There's no time to explain more," Cleopawtra added. "Cause the show starts in about less than fifteen minutes!"

Cliff whipped out a notepad and a wooden pencil. "Yeah, so let's hurry up 'n make some rhymes!"

Darin lifted his paw up high in the air. He was determined to show that animals rule. "We should dedicate this little number to all the animals in the world!"

The four cats cheered as it lasted for a second before they all scratched their chins and heads. Five minutes later before silence fell between the five felines. They were completely stumped. Not one cat in the room could simply couldn't think of anything that'll catch interest.

Cliff expressed a small amount of embarrassment. "Ya guys think of somethin'?" he asked, to which the rest of the cats shook their heads horizontally. The black feline put his head down. "Oh, me neither."

More silence took place for at least a full minute for the cats until one of them actually managed to think of something good.

 _DING!_

Nepurrtiti gasped. "I think I've got it!" the kitty said with flair, as the four cats gasped in shock as they didn't think the youngest of the bunch could come up with something.

"Really? You do?" Cleopawtra said.

"Well c'mon! Let's hear it, kid!" Cliff added with a smile.

Nepurrtiti was just about to answer when a perplexed David turned to the black cat, regarding something he mentioned earlier. "Math problems?" he confusedly asked.

The party was still going strong down in the living room. Gary and Fiona happily arrived back downstairs to catch the rest of the party in action. Half of the animals were still dancing to the house grooves as Geo kept spinning on the turntables. The disk jockey hamster wanted to try out something he hadn't done before, and that was in fact the scratch part of the turntables.

Geo jumped off one of the oscillating disks and placed two of his little paws on one of the platters. He sluggishly shifted his arms direction left and right out of shear curiosity just to see what would happen. It omitted multiple simple scratching sounds, and the animals in the crowd were taking notice.

They were slowly getting intrigued to the hamster's sudden ability to scratch. A few seconds of whistling came from the animals to show their support for what Geo did. The hamster smiled and kept the act going for a good amount of time, up until he caught sight of a naked Lily still swirling her diaper around from earlier today.

"Wow." Geo uncomfortably stated. She ended up influencing the hamster to slow down his scratching as that display of hers caught her off guard. The audience started chanting for Geo to keep going as Lily wanted to try and break dance for the animals now.

 _"Don't stop!"_

 _"Never stop!"_

 _"We love you, DJ Geo!"_

He did so, only to keep his supporters in the crowd of his entertained. Lily really got down, impressing the surrounding animals with the groovy little moves she has to offer. She did a dance that originated from that annoying toy that had the appearance of a fox that came from some indie horror game the Loud siblings grew sick of. In the visions of the animals, it was like the biggest things can come in small packages.

They were all so happy for her. They filled up the living room with the sounds of oohs and ahhs as Charles, Ajax, Watterson and the rest his dog friends sat back and watched her dancing. The three animals were licking peanut butter off the jars in their paws as if they were a fast melting popsicle on a bright and sunny afternoon as a big canvas rested on a wall inches behind the pack of dogs.

Charles chuckled. "Look at that kid go!" he said while he was awestruck.

"That sure is a special child, fulla surprises if I've ever seen one." Ajax added.

"You're telling me!" Watterson said with extra flair. "I really wish I could be as talented as her!"

"So Charles," Ajax called. "Did that Rosato chick ever show up here? Haven't seen her around since we got here at this blazin' hot party!"

Charles confidently answered his friend. "She did, actually!" He turned around to flip the canvas over. "Check it!"

The white canine revealed an expertly painted portrait of Charles laying suggestively on a red couch, about to treat himself to a milk bone with a very rich flavor. The pups were speechless, as if they had never saw anything like it before. Their eyes bulged for seconds before smiles were painted on their faces. One pup in the group went as far as to bow down to the pit bull as if he had to worship him like royalty.

"Well, whatcha think?" Charles asked his canine friends.

"I... I'm well impressed." Ajax commented in awe.

"That's amazing," Watterson added as he jumped around. "However much was that commission?"

"I offered her however many milk bones I had on me." Charles answered. "Although she did think I was cute 'n charmin' so she said it was on the house."

Ajax was acting a little jealous now as he slightly tilted his head down. "No fair! I had ta pony up like five ta ten of my own milk bones just ta get one a those."

"Well dang!" Watterson reacted. "That much for a little commission?"

Charles petted his free portrait. "Well kid, true art takes a whole lotta time ta whip up." he answered the little white fluffball. "And ya gotta pay up if ya ever want somethin' this majestic!" he winked at him with a big smile on his face.

Geo was still scratching on the turntables like he was a master at it on the first attempt. Lily waddled over to the equipment, giggling as if she was in a land of happiness. She noticed the hamster still scratching the surface of the platter before she wanted to give it a shot herself.

She touched the exact same turntable as Geo quickly took notice of this. "Turn!" she said. He broke a sweat as he nervously smiled at the naked infant before she shifted the platter left and right, dragging Geo around as he held onto the edge of the surface.

The giggling infant was having fun as she persistently scratched the surface before she spun it around like a top. Geo was close to feeling dizzy from holding on to the platter for a while now. He lost his puny little grip as he was involuntarily thrown into the crowd of animals, one of which were willing to catch him as he fell.

The catch was clearly successful to Gary. He gladly hoisted the hamster up in the air as they got him to surf the crowd of animals as they showered him with their applause and cheers.

Geo was surprised at how it escalated to something good for him. It might have been somewhat unintentional for the child to fling the hamster, but he was satisfied nonetheless. He turned to a smiling Lily Loud, and game her two thumbs up.

The child raised both of her hands as she bopped her head to the rhythm of the music. "Turn!" she yelled.

A couple animals in the crowd yelled back to her. "Up!" they said. They kept the act going for some seconds until the music stopped along with the crowd, complete with a needle scratch as an animal somewhere in the crowd said something regarding an event in the party.

"Hey wait a minute! Isn't there supposed to be a performance starting in a few minutes?"

Charles grew a little paranoid. "Uh-oh," he uttered. He might have thought about stalling for some extra time, but given his somewhat lazy nature at times, he wouldn't take the time to do so. "Where's that dang cat?"

The group of felines, Cliff, Cleopawtra, Nepurrtiti, Darin, and David all rushed down the stairs as quick as they could with slight anxious expressions as if they were going to miss something very important. They all stood from behind the crowd as the leader of the group grabbed everyone's attention as he waved his arms around.

"Don'tcha worry!" Cliff yelled. "The Feline Fever show's about ta start in a few seconds!"

The animals in the room all turned their attention to the felines as they stared blankly at them before Cleopawtra walked to his side with a determined smile. "Don't y'all stare at us like that!" she said. "We're here to groove those animal tails ya'll got up in here!"

"Who's ready for an awesome performance?" Nepurrtiti sheepishly added.

"This one's for all the animals in the world!" Darin and David raised their voices loud. The animals all responded to the very last line from the group of cats with loud cheers all around.

"Well it's about time..." an animal said irritably in the crowd.

Cliff equipped a microphone in his pointy ears as well as the rest of the felines in the living room. They were all ready to put on a performance that no animal at the party would ever forget. "Yo DJ!" he said as he pointed over to Lily at the turntables. "Lay down the _wildest_ tune ya got!" She gave a thumbs up to the feline with a determined little smiled on her face before she turned on a slow, swing jazz themed song that's currently on the deck.

 _ **"Wild and Wonderful"**_

It became a tribute musical number for all the living mammals in the household. It was time to bring the house down, animal style.

The animals were getting into the groove of the rhythm, bopping their heads in sync as the group of felines stood tall and proud on their hind legs. They stepped their paws to the beat of the tune as the crowd drew interest to the cats. They began to hype it up for the cats before Cliff strutted forward with a smile as he's about to deliver some last minute rhymes.

 _"Cats scratchin' tower posts, 'n dogs chompin' on derrieres, It's all just a part of our own nature."_ he sang.

"Oh yeah, cat!" Charles appealed, wagging his tail as he smiled in the process before Cliff popped up and placed his paw around the dog.

 _"Now Charles, such docility, the best doggone pit bull terrier,"_

The feline crossed his arms. _n' Cliff, that's me on the other paw, my love grows even greater!"_

Charles blushed, brushing the back of his head. "Aw, shucks!"

Walt flew back into the living room. He got startled a bit as he took notice of Cliff popping up as he resumed the singing. _"Walt may be all short-tempered,"_

"Hey!" Walt angrily exclaimed.

 _"...but he's got a good heart at best,"_

Walt lightened up as the latter line influenced a smile. The cat bent down in front of a smiling Geo, delivering a line just for him. _"n' Geo ol' pal he's on a roll, but ain't he such a cute creature?"_

Those last two words put an indefinite smile on the hamster's face. He turned to every animal in the crowd, with paws high up in the air. _"We're showin' how much we all care, just to help avoid feelin' all depressed,"_

Lastly, the feline turns to the reader. _"It's why we're singin' this silly tune,"_ he placed a paw on the computer screen. _"...and it's all big thanks to ya, reader!"_

The animals went nuts. They were impressed by Cliff's ability to sing and deliver some meaningful rhymes about his pals in the Loud house. Needle scratches galore as it switched the tempo up a bit to a house genre, but it also still kept the jazz theme intact. An unique yet epic sounding saxophone solo ensued during the break in the musical number.

The crowd kept cheering for the cats as the performance was going great so far. But the fun was just getting started for everyone in the house. During the short break between the performance, Charles and Cliff took the spotlight as the four felines watched with enthusiasm. They busted some dance moves in the center of the room together, leaving the crowd insanely impressed with their amplified abilities. Watterson was so impressed, he really had to comment on their dancing.

 _"Unbelievable!"_

 _"Ke-ke-ke-keep it goin'!"_

The dancing lasted for a good ten seconds or so before Cleopawtra jump in front of the action, picking up where Cliff last left off but not before stroking her fur. _"We're animals, we know we rule, we got our number made of jazz,"_ she sang as the lavender kitty jumped on top of her sister.

 _"We do whatever we wanna do, as well as kick seats of yer own pants!"_ she jumped up real high as she performed a karate kick in midair.

Darin and David approached the crowd as they all backed away from the feline duo as if they were somewhat contagious. _"When ya see us comin', ya better watch out, cuz the pets are here to rock yer day,_ _n' we assure ya this ain't a dream,"_ Cleopawtra, Nepurrtiti and Cliff joined together. _"So this is what we gotta say!"_

The two feline sisters continued towards the buildup as the group oscillated their torso and faces, facing the crowd. _"Withered ol' farmsteads, but got a roof over our heads,"_ they said, before the male felines joined in, hitting notes with flair. _We'd rather take the latter instead!"_

Cliff and his male feline friends danced the shuffle in almost perfect unison as he continued the rest of the last minute musical number. _"We're wild and wonderful, always makin' the best of life,"_ The females ran towards each other only to perform backflips that left the crowd of animals even more impressed. _The role of being the house pet, just make friends!"_

"Go, cats!" Charles and Geo chanted. Walt was actually so into it that he whistled in support to how good it turned out to be so far.

 _"We're the best darn animals around now,"_ Cliff sang as Cleopawtra and Nepurrtiti popped up from behind. _"Not once did we had a strife,"_

Darin and David joined in all together to deliver the last line of the song. The five felines came closer to one another as they hit more notes. _With friendship, big hearts, it never ever eeeennnds!"_

The saxophone in the end closed out the song, influencing the cats to execute a pose of their choice with a smile.

 _ **Song Finished**_

It went off without a hitch, not one awkward moment in sight. Every animal in the house cheered once more to a performance well done, despite being whipped up at the very last minute, but nobody but the cats knew that. It lasted for seconds as Charles and the rest of his friends howled loudly, wagging their tails frantically as well as Watterson barking in a good mood. DJ Lily clapped it up as she giggled.

 _"That was awesome!"_

 _"We love you, Feline Fever!"_

The cats blushed. They were all surprised that they managed to pull something like this off in such a short time, and especially on the first go too. If anything, it was like an academy record to them.

"Thank y'all fer comin' today!" Cliff said to the crowd.

"We couldn't have done it without y'all's support!" Cleopawtra added.

"We love you too!" Nepurrtiti happily said.

It was at this very moment that out of nowhere, the telephone rang loudly in the living room. It caught everyone off guard as it influenced them to stop making noises as they all listened to the sound of the telephone ringing right in their earlobes. They all wondered who could it be on the line right now.

 _"Hey, who's that callin'?"_

 _"Who could that be?"_

 _"Somebody go answer it!"_

There was only one way to find out. It could be the Louds, the parents of the household, or someone they literally don't even know. Whoever it may be, somebody had to answer that landline.

Charles walked over to the telephone. He hesitated for a quick second to exhale as it still rang loud in his ears. He finally knocked the handset off the device's cradle as there was chatter coming through the speakers. It was the eldest sibling of the bunch, the social media loving Lori Loud asking if the parents were home already.

To no answer for quite a few seconds, the dog finally responded as he barked into the phone. Lori immediately responded to the dog, saying get the parents to call her back when they arrive at the house in a few minutes. The call ended from there as Charles hung the phone back up.

Silence filled the entire house as the crowd nervously looked over to Charles now. It was like waiting for a status update on a tense situation.

Cliff asked the white canine a question out of curiosity. "Who was that?" he asked.

Charles sat there quietly. "Humans are about to arrive at this house in a few minutes." he answered. Every single animal had no idea what to do from this point. They knew that the party was all wrapped up the minute the word "human" was mentioned. There was silence all around yet again, until the canine of the house suddenly shouted _"Everyone clear the house!"_

Animal chatter filled the room as they all pitched in to tidy up the room. These animals knew that teamwork was the way to go if they wanted to complete something faster. They picked up discarded pizza slices, soda bottles, and wasted pet treats on the floor as they took turns throwing them away in a trash bag. Walt looked out the living room window, on the lookout for anyone on the driveway while Lily, Hops, Fangs, and Gary all headed upstairs, attempting to get out of the situation.

"Go, go, go!" Charles commanded as if he was portraying a sergeant in an army. He was on two legs, sweeping the floor without a problem up until he noticed some animals attempting to get out the front door, but Charles was quick to rectify that problem. "No! The back, ya guys!"

In the kitchen, Cliff offered leftover food and drinks for the road as the crowd was willing enough to accept his offer. "Take it! It's all fer ya! On the house! Enjoy it!" Once the last animal was outside, Cliff quickly closed the kitchen door shut. He wiped of his forehead, sighing in relief. "Phew!"

Vanzilla was up on the driveway now. They didn't have much time left from this point onward. "Hurry! They're here!" Walt warned the pets.

Charles stopped in the middle of sweeping as the house looked clean and tidy again like it was before the party. He threw the brush to the side. "Woo, that's a relief!" His stomach growled. "Speakin' of relief..." He rushed upstairs to the bathroom.

Cliff, Geo and Walt zipped to the front door before it opened up all the way, revealing Rita and Lynn Sr. at the doorway. The animals smiled sheepishly as if they haven't done anything naughty. The father of the house caught noise of something upstairs.

"What is that noise?" he said, causing the pets to glance toward each other as the humans walked upstairs in front of Luna and Luan's room. The animals followed them upstairs as their curiosity got the better of them.

Lynn Sr. opened the door for a surprise that nobody say coming. The room was filled with dozens of baby rabbits, and an embarrassed Gary to add as he popped up from Luan's hat. The parents mouths agape, even the pets were shocked from this reveal. Charles approached the group, also surprised from this event. This caught the father off-guard, he could barely talk.

"Luan's... b-b-bunny... he's... is..." he stuttered. It was too much for him, including his wife. They both fainted as they both fell backwards together. The pets stared on at Gary as they took a huge gulp, while Cliff was extremely angry at the white hare. He now realized this was all a ruse just to get abandoned.

Gary hesitated trying to come up with a good excuse. "I swear, I was just doing math!"

Arms crossed, the cat sarcastically responded "Sure ya were."

* * *

 **~End~**

 **A/N: Real big shoutouts to Darin McGowan, Kevin Sullivan, Miguel Puga, Jordan Rosato, David Teas and other Loud House staff crew I might have mentioned in the story.**

 **From the pets with love, thank y'all so much!**


	15. System of a Shakedown

Story 14: System of a Shakedown

 ** _A/N: Here we go, season two! Since tonight's Halloween, I'd thought I'd do the first holiday-themed one shot to kick off the second season of the series. Don't forget, I am open to any suggestions for this series and this series only through reviews or PMs._**

* * *

A dark, starry night has begun down in the good ol' neighborhood of Royal Woods. It's only two days away until the one traditional day that all the kids love to participate in only for the sweet, sweet candy and dressing up in wacky costumes. Who wouldn't love a simple piece of candy to crave that sweet tooth of theirs or become harmless victims at a little trick? The Loud family would definitely be up for both of those questions together all day, everyday. There was probably not a single child under their teenage years that would turn down a fun and spooky little holiday like this one.

Inside the Loud House, the four family pets were alone together. They were sitting in that comfortable family couch as their eyes gazed upon the television screen. They were all nervous, especially the white, friendly dog of the household as it circulated a rerun of a film intended to be a horror film.

 _A woman in her mid-twenties was on the edge of curling up into a fetal position after she swore on her life that she closed more doors than she'd opened. She had the eeriest feeling that something or someone was in her house, haunting her until she broke._

 _"Oh geez. Why do these doors keep opening...? I swear to gosh that I have closed a lot more doors than I thought in this house."_

 _She analyzed her surroundings of her supposedly haunted house as creepy ambience subtly play in the film's background. She was heavily breathing from that point. Nothing happened inside that house for seconds. That is, until she caught some movement of another door down the hallway._

 _The woman was clearly not alone now. She quickly knew that she had two options to decide with. The first one was to go all in and try and take the intruder down, or to just simply run and get the heck out of dodge._

The pets, sans Walt, all quivered with fear. Charles especially, since he shook vigorously like a ringing telephone. He was the most fearful out of the rest of the animals living inside the house.

"Ohhhhh...what do ya think's gonna happen ya guys?" Cliff nervously asked.

"They're gonna scare us, I just know it!" Geo whimpered.

"I'll have ta agree with ya on that, Ham," Charles added. "I'm straight shakin' over here!"

"This is no time for speculations, you guys," Walt quietly answered. "Now hush!"

The animals all gazed back at the television screen now. They were mostly getting scared on what was about to happen next in the program they're watching.

 _The woman grew more anxious just like the pets as she saw a door swiftly shut completely out of the blue. She clearly had a choice to make. Either take a chance, and confront the stranger face to face, or get some of the authorites right there on the scene as quickly as she could. Hesitance took over the woman for a good second or two as she breathed heavily as if she was performing an intense workout routine._

 _Tensions quickly arose as the innocent woman made her decision to wander close and closer to the moving door inside her house._ _It became clear that she knew that she wasn't alone in the house from this point. It became evidently clear that she was being stalked. Her heart came pounding with each step towards the door that she observed shut within the blink of an eye._

 _This is it._

 _From this point, she didn't care. She always wanted to show herself that she wasn't one to mess with in her house. She thought about how she wanted to give people a piece of her feminine mind whenever she finds disrespect to her and her hard earned property. It was time to take a stand for herself once and for all. But she didn't realize that she may have been making a terrifying mistake._

 _The woman was only two inches away from the door now. In her mind, she didn't feel the need to put her own life at risk and would rather contact some authorities about this. But in this case, she must do whatever she had to do this time. She reached out to the metal knob of one of her doors. A quick twist and a push later, she got probably one of the most biggest surprises of her life._

 _A loud sound omitted as the woman got a glimpse of the intruder's face from her point of view. She let out a loud bloodcurdling screech as she was presented with a badly messed up face with huge bloodshot eyes and realistic slits all over his face as if he looked like a homicidal maniac._

All of the animals jumped as Charles yelped and howled like a coward as he landed into the arms of a black cat. He held on tightly as if they were replicating the same action from an animated seventies mystery show. None of the animals were ready for something like that. Especially since it was like being exposed to some new for the first time in their animal lives. The canine whined. He couldn't manage to handle something this terrifying. It felt highly traumatizing to him.

"Whoa! That was... something." Geo reacted, still shaken from the surprise.

"That's... because it is." Walt responded. He and Geo glanced over to a shaken Charles and an anxious Cliff by their side. They were too scared to even get even one single word out of their mouths.

Geo started to worry about them. "You guys alright?"

Cliff attempted to calm himself down for a second before he answered the hamster's question. "Turn... the channel."

Charles quickly nodded in agreement. "Yeah, yeah! I second that!"

"What's wrong with you two?" Walt asked. "Are you two scared or something?" He scoffed. "Cowards."

"We are not scared!" Charles and Cliff protested. They were hugging it out now as if they were really afraid of something.

Geo smirked. The dog and the cat's actions seemed to be funny for him. "Are you sure about that?"

Walt looked down and noticed a stream of liquid on the couch underneath Charles. He decided to point it out to add in some bit of humiliation all while he snickered. "Mr. Tinker says otherwise."

Charles looked down on the couch. It was from this moment that he found out that he failed to hold it all in. He quickly blushed upon observing what he did without noticing. Cliff was quick on his tail to get grossed out by Charles' incontinence. He casually backed away from the blushing white dog as well as Geo from behind.

To further in the embarrassment of the dog, the cat decided to add in another comment before he laughed. "How long before that bowel movement a yers takes its course, eh dog?"

Charles growled at the three animals now. He highly felt that was exceeding the limit to it's maximum capacity from that sentence alone. "Enough! That was completely uncalled for, cat!" He grabbed the feline with no hesitation to show. "C'mere!"

The two ended up forming a ball of violence now. It lasted for a good three to five seconds with barks and meows all around before all of a sudden, the power in the house completely died out, influencing Charles and Cliff to call off the brawling. It happened so fast, without any coincidences or anything.

It was almost pitch black in the house now. Some tension rose as the pets started to gulp down their saliva. They are scared that something was amongst them in the house. Out of the blue, thunderclaps were added in the background as it provoked the fears of Charles and Cliff.

 _CLAP!_

They jumped up high, simultaneously spitting out a word as loud as they could.

 _"Yipe!"_

 _"Meow!"_

They shook as they held on tightly to the living room fan on the ceiling. Walt and Geo started snickering now. Their amusement has reached at a high enough capacity to find their cowardice funny for them. Charles and Cliff were quick on their tail to notice. They promptly glared at them until their amusement finally withered out.

Cliff confronted the two in angry words. "Stop that!"

"Yeah guys, knock it off!" Charles added.

Geo proceeded to wipe a tear off his face as he regained control of his emotion. "I'm sorry."

Walt added with a blank expression. "Same."

Charles and Cliff made their way down from the fan, landing just upright on the floor. They had to figure out what to do now. It was dark inside as if it was really a haunted house.

"Anyway, we've got work to do," Geo said. "We need to think of a plan, and it needs to be well thought out as well..."

It didn't take long for someone in the room to hatch up a plan. It came from the dog of the house. "I've got the plan!" Charles said.

He bolted out of the living room for a split second before coming back with a suitcase for traveling. "I say we get the heck outta here while we still can!"

Cliff thought the dog would never ask. "Like, I was thinkin' the same thing! Let's scram!"

They were about to zip out of the room until Geo spoke up. "Now now, nobody's leaving this house."

Walt added in a reminder to the two pets. "Cowardice will get you guys nowhere."

The hamster thought to himself for a bit. He figured that it had something to do with whatever it was in the house that cut off the power to the house. "Anyway, I have a feeling I know how and where we can get the power back on in this house."

"Either that or those humans must be really low on dough." Walt added.

Charles licked his lips the moment he heard the last word of the bird's sentence. "Mmm. Dough good. Could go fer some-a that."

He got Cliff to start salivating now. "Delicious... cookie dough."

Walt grabbed the attention of the dog and the cat. "Snap out of it! This isn't the time to think about delicacies."

Charles and Cliff stared at the bird as if they were watching a door, waiting for their owner to return to them. Geo resumed to his plan without hesitating a second.

"So yeah, we gotta find the source of the power." he said. "Let's split up. You two check this floor and the basement, me and the bird are gonna check the floor upstairs."

"Nuh-uh!" Charles said. "Whatever happened ta stickin' together?"

"Like, there's no way yer havin' us split up." Cliff added in anger.

As Geo was about to offer a quick alternative, they were met with a creaking door coming from the parent's room. It caught all of the pets off their guard as they shifted their attention to the door. A four-foot monster dressed in a kooky black cloak along with red scratches all over its face emerged from the room it omitted a ghoulish voice. Smoke omitted from the doorway as it increased the realism the pets were about to endure.

Charles and Cliff whimpered as they caught sight of the monster approaching out of the room. "Yoink!" the fearful feline said.

"Ruuuunnn!" Charles yelled out before they proceeded to panic mode as they bolted to the upstairs hallway. The monster crept over to Walt and Geo before they yelped out simultaneously. They decided to bolt inside the kitchen as they intended to split the gang up in the first place.

The monster uttered out but one word as it walked around like an undead zombie that came straight from the grave. "Mammals... mammals."

Upstairs, Charles booked it inside the bathroom as fast as he could with Cliff following from behind. He slammed the door shut, causing Cliff to crash right into it before he promptly fell backward on the floor. His eyes spiraled for seconds as he moaned before he shook his head to regain consciousness. He didn't see this coming at all. He was understandably outraged as he clawed away at the door.

"Hey! Lemme in there!" he uttered.

Charles had to be quick to give the cat an answer. "Uh... this is taken! Do ya mind..?"

Cliff grew more anxious by the second as he continued to claw at the door. He was desperate to get in with the canine. "Oh stop yer fakin' 'n open the dang door!"

That moment, the feline heard footsteps coming up the stairway. Those sudden creeks of the floorboards made the cat feel trapped inside a small box. He had to hurry up and hide somewhere else. He frantically looked around until he noticed a slight open bedroom door right next to him. As the creaking grew louder, he dove right into the room.

Footsteps approached the left side of the hallway. Cliff's heart sank like a rock as he took notice. He looked through the tight opening of the door to catch the monster, right there in front of the doorway now. The feline didn't know what to do now. He was too scared to even _think_.

The monster stood quiet for a couple of seconds, it was sure that it heard meowing and barking coming from the hallway. The very next thing he decided to do was bust open the bedroom door of Luna and Luan. The force was so audible that it influenced Cliff to jump back and hide somewhere in the room he was in. Anxiety ensued all around as he settled on hiding just under Leni's bed.

A full minute has passed as Cliff was on the lookout for what he believes is a monster out to get them. He heard audible footsteps outside the hallway as he desperately hoped that he was leaving the hallway. But nope. That hope of his was defied and snatched away from the animal in an instant. The monster came busting through the door of Leni and Lori's room now. Cliff was shaking like a motorized vehicle on a regular day as he paid close attention to the monster in front of the doorway. It decided to inspect the room from top to bottom, walking all around the room. Whoever it was, their desperation was at tall values. All the fraidy cat could do now was hope that the intruder wouldn't notice a thing under the bed he's now currently hiding under.

* * *

Geo and Walt were deep in the dark basement. They were thinking about the monster as it eerily but slowly approached the two before they took off running. They never thought they could observe something this frightening. It's almost as if it was extremely realistic. They both talked about how they reacted as they looked around for switch to tamper with.

"Wow." Geo said. "How do they have so many scratches on his face?"

"Whoever they are... they need some flip-flockin' treatment." Walt said.

Wouldn't they know it, It was the hamster's lucky day. By chance alone, there just happened to be a flashlight right in front of the two pets. Geo gasped upon noticing the item.

"Bird! I found something that'll help us out!" he said with a smile. Walt flew over on top of Geo's ball. He casually reacted like it was a normal occurrence.

"A flashlight." he said. "Good."

The bird flew on top of the object, switching the light on. It flashed a good amount of space in the basement with a few objects in the way such as tables and boxes and lastly a concrete wall inside the interior. He would soon lift up the object to shine some light on a bigger amount of space that it shines on now.

"Alright, now let's get to searching." the bird commanded. He and Geo searched all around the interior of the basement for minutes.

"Not there." Geo mumbled. "That's not it either..." He may have the feeling that it's probably not down in the basement. Maybe it was located in another room of the house, but they have yet to search the entire room. From what they have unveiled, they only covered about half of the basement.

Walt turned the flashlight into another direction. He gasped, catching the attention of the hamster. He finally found something that'll be real useful. "Look!"

It was a breaker box that controls the electricity of the house. Their hopes rose up as they saw it right in front of their eyes. Finally, there was some progress going down for the two pets.

"Could that be...?" Geo wondered.

Walt answered the hamster with a satisfied "It is!"

* * *

Charles was rocking on the toilet seat now. He was whimpering for seconds for what seemed like minutes on end. Unfortunately, the noises the dog was making caught the attention of the monster who was just outside of the doorway now as he was going to check the other side of the hallway. The dog couldn't do a simple thing to not get noticed in a situation like this. It was like answering a math problem under a large amount of pressure.

The monster knocked away at the door. The jig was up for the dog now. His heart jumped as he didn't have much time to think of where he was going to hide. His paws and nose began to sweat for a short time before he had no choice but to settle with hiding behind the shower curtains.

Each bang from the monster grew with more force into the door until it busted open like a balloon. What he saw was nothing suspicious at first. That is until seconds later, he heard some scratching inside the bathroom. It came from the shower head, behind some curtains. The monster walked over to move the curtains out of the way. What he saw was something it didn't expect to see in a situation like this.

The reveal was Charles cleansing his back with a shower brush while he whistled with sincerity. It took seconds to pass by before the dog looked over to the monster. Upon noticing it, he screamed like a lady as he covered up with part of the shower curtain. He hit the monster a few times on the cranium with the brush before he jumped out of the shower.

"HELLLPPP!" the dog screamed at the top of his lungs as he zipped straight out of the bathroom. The monster decided to chase after the scared canine as they would soon head downstairs. Cliff figured that was his cue to make his way out of the bedroom. He sighed in great relief upon realizing that he was safe, for now.

"Phew." he uttered. "Now that he's outta the way..."

At this point when the cat least expected it, there was a sudden change of plan. A crack opened up underneath him as he fell through with a long meow. That fall would eventually lead him straight into the room of Rita and Lynn Sr. as he landed in a pile of laundry.

He got up as he placed his paw over his head, not knowing there's a pair of underwear hanging on his nose. For him, that was some fall. The second the cat finally noticed the pair of underwear, he reacted by swatting it off as if it was an irritating fly.

"Bleh, I really hope those were clean..." he spat. The cat started to look around. He realized almost immediately that this was where the monster came from. A sound rang in the feline's earlobes seconds later. The cat jumped again as he shook around in the pile of clothes. After the cat took a few seconds to calm some nerves, his curiosity influenced him to check out the source.

"Hmm..." he uttered as he squinted his feline eyes. He walked over to the other side of the room. What he was about to discover was an elaborate setup that he didn't see coming. He stopped upon noticing the source.

It turned out to be fog machines. Cliff was understandably confused now. At the same time, he was a bit suspicious about what was going on in the household. As the machines were still running, the feline grew more curious overtime.

He lifted up one of his paws off the ground as he started resisting. His paw came in contact with the machine before it started to omit some fog once again. As he looked on the item, it would suddenly hit him in his head. He was more suspicious than ever. He was starting to get the idea that this was in fact, some sort of prank.

"Like, wait a minute." Cliff said. "I know exactly what's goin' on here! This is a complete-!"

Charles ran inside the bedroom where Cliff is located, covered in splats of red all over his fur. He whimpered like a scared little animal the second he hid inside the closet. He was ducking for cover with his paws over his head all the while he shook in trembling fear. Cliff was understandably a little mad at the pup. At the same time, he was concerned as he approached him inside the closet.

He spoke to him in a rather sarcastic tone. "Thanks so much for yer undyin' loyalty."

Charles turned to the feline, giving him a little shock as he noticed some red splatters over the pup's face. "Well I'm sorry, cat! I thought if we-"

"Whoa whoa whoa!" Cliff reacted. "What is that on yer face, dog?!"

"Huh?" Charles said in confusion. The dog wiped his face off, getting some of the liquid on his paw. Because of his own curiosity, he licked the contents of his paw clean off, only to find out it was some traditional tomato sauce. He wagged his tail upon deciphering the taste. "Hoo boy, tomato sauce! Musta been from that bucket that fell right in front of me."

Cliff lightened up a bit now. "Oh, thank goodness." For a second he thought it was something else. Unbeknownst to the two, that was the only chance of relief he or the dog was going to get. Creaking omitted from the stairs that were just outside of the bedroom they were in.

The animals were shaking again. "Ruh-roh, cat..." Charles uttered as he had no idea what to do from that point. "What are we gonna do? I'm scared..."

Suddenly, Cliff had a flashback on something that Walt said to them earlier in the night.

 _"Cowardice will get you guys nowhere."_

Cliff reached out to Charles. "Dog, remember what the bird said about bein' cowards?"

Charles was a little confused. "Huh?"

"We need ta toughen it out and show our dominance!"

Charles whined to the cat. "What if that doesn't work?"

Cliff reassured as if there was nothing to worry about. "Trust me dog, it will!"

"Oh, I dunno about this..." Charles nervously responded.

Cliff resorted to one more tactic he had left up his sleeve. He whipped out a doggy treat, in hopes to get him convinced. "...Would ya do it for a bacon flavored doggy treat?" He asked with a sheepish smile.

Charles' tail started to wag now. He licked his lips upon observing the treat. "Ya had me at bacon!"

* * *

"Try that one." Geo said. He was outside of his ball now as he held the flashlight on the box for Walt to see. The bird flicked one of the switches before he switched it back to it's original position. To no avail, there was no change in the lighting whatsoever.

"Doesn't work." the bird replied.

Geo started to worry. Halfway in the box, none of the switches seem to get the power up and running again. "Aw geez, that's like the ninth switch we tried!"

"Don't worry, Ham," Walt said. "We're still have nine more to try out."

"Okay, but can we hurry?" Geo said. "My arms are getting tired from holding this thing."

A second later, he fell forward. The flashlight bounced off the hamster as he fell flat on his stomach before it rolled around. It eventually flashed a table , a large bucket of water filled with apples, and a wall behind it. Walt gasped as he took notice of the fallen hamster.

"Ham?!" he reacted.

A few seconds in, Walt noticed an odd object laying right on a table the flashlight shined upon.

"Hey," he uttered as he flew towards the object. "The heck is this?"

Geo managed to recover as he pushed himself off the ground. "What is it?" he asked out of curiosity.

It was a ball of paper. Out of shear curiosity, Walt unfolded the ball of paper to reveal that it was just a receipt. Though it did take him a couple seconds, he managed to get the task done.

"It's... some sort of receipt... from A Fair City."

Geo was understandably confused. "A receipt? What's something like that that doing down here?"

"Hmm... it looks like there's several items listed on this piece of paper."

Among the things listed were the following:

 _Fog machine...19.95_

 _Fog machine...19.95_

 _Halloween mask...5.49_

 _Leather cloak...24.99_

 _1g Tomato sauce..6.79_

 _Total...81.80_

Upon finishing up with the reading, Walt was now understandably outraged. " _Sacre bleu!_ I don't believe this!"

"What?" Geo asked.

Walt brought the receipt over to Geo. "Look at this!"

Much to Geo's surprise, he was a little suspicious about what was going on. He gasped upon reading the contents of the receipt. "There just happened to be this lying around huh...?"

"Such dumbos." Walt added. "You'd think they wouldn't leave this out in the open."

Geo giggled. "Yeah."

A second later, the two pets heard Charles and Cliff yelling as they approached to the basement. They ended up fumbling all the way down like a rolling hamster wheel until they finally reached the bottom due to slipping on a sudden misplaced rollerblade at the door. They were both temporarily dizzy for the moment. Walt and Geo approached them with some bit of concern as the bird shined the flashlight on the two.

"Oh thank gosh, it's you two!" Geo said in relief.

"What happened?" Walt said.

Charles shook his head as he recovered from the tumble. He was mighty quick with an answer. "I'll tell ya what happened. We were facing the monster when we had ourselves cornered and we were on the winnin' edge for... quite a while now and just outta nowhere, it pulled out this huge garden tool to cut down tall fields a grass! I did not see that comin' at all."

Cliff pointed towards the dog. "He actually farted when the latter part happened."

Charles glared at the cat. "Ya know that ain't me, it was that fog machine!"

"I never get tired of usin' that kind of humor on youse." Cliff chuckled, playfully punching the dog's arm.

"Speaking of that..." Walt said, grabbing the cat and dog's undivided attention. Geo walked over to the two as he gave Cliff the receipt they found. "Look at this."

As they were reading the contents, it all became clear to them now. This was all just a little prank. Cliff and Charles felt more confident and less scared after reading the receipt.

"Aha!" Cliff uttered. "I knew it!"

"Knew what?" Walt interfered. "You went bolting upstairs after the dog the minute you saw that thing!"

"Ooh. Got him good." Geo quietly added.

Cliff sighed from that remark. "Now ya wanna waste time bashin' us for bein' cowards or ya wanna catch this monster and put a stop to its reign of terror once and for all?"

"You got a plan?" Walt asked.

The cat answered with confidence. "Ya bet yer sweet tail feather I do."

"I'll admit, they picked a good brand of sauce!" Charles said as he was still reading the receipt. He backed off a couple inches as the feline balled the receipt up once again and threw it aside.

"Alright, are y'all ready?" Cliff said before extending his paw out. "Paws 'n wings in."

One by one, Charles placed a paw, followed by Geo and later Walt with a wing.

All together in unison, they all answered with "Break!"

Seconds later, moaning came from the doorway leading down to the basement. The sudden noises made Walt drop the flashlight. Charles and Cliff started to shake once again after the bird's action.

"Roh no..." the dog quietly uttered.

"It's here!" the cat added as he picked up the flashlight. He shined it towards the doorway to find the monster, menacingly standing there with his bloody scythe as if he was finally about to get the job done. The animals' fears were increasingly provoked upon noticing the monster again.

"I have you now..." the monster slowly uttered in it's lowest voice possible.

Charles began to whimper again as he held on tightly to the cat followed by Geo and Walt doing the same seconds later. As the monster was about to descend down the flight of stairs, the animals resorted to confessions as if they were under pressure.

"Well, I guess this is it you guys..." Cliff said with a gulp. "I was the one who ate the leftover fish!"

Walt followed soon after. "It's my fault that I poked a hole through the front door!"

Charles laid all he way down and took cover. "I didn't mean to leave that present in yer litterbox!"

All that's left now was Geo. He thought real hard under pressure before coming to a conclusion. "...I really love SMOOOCH!" Charles, Cliff and Walt glanced over to the hamster now. He was confused about their sudden shift of attention towards him. "What?"

The monster started to approach the flight of stairs now. There was nothing the pets could try to do now due to being cornered in as if they were locked away together in a cage. Tensions rose as they were close to crossing paths. To make matters worse, their fear were increased even more as the flashlight unexpectedly died out.

"...Shoot."

It was pitch black in the basement.

They were goners.

The pets hugged tightly as if this was their final moments together. Until by chance alone, the monster had a nasty little fall down the stairs, hitting its face on the concrete floor below. It was temporarily knocked out cold now.

They didn't know it, but it was all over. Silence filled seconds passed by before all the power came back to the house when they least expected it.

Geo opened his eyes. He smiled as he noticed the electricity to the house was up and running once again. "Hey, the power's back on!"

It didn't take long for Charles, Cliff and Walt to do the same. They were all glad they made it through unscathed as they sighed in relief.

"Like would ya look at that?" Cliff said. "We did it!"

"Yeah, yeah!" Charles added while Walt glanced over to the fallen monster. There was a small pool of sauce made to look like blood as he subtly fidgeted. He knew for the longest that it was someone disguised to maybe at least get a cheap thrill. He was mad.

"Now let's see who this monster really is." The bird flew over to the costume someone was wearing as he laid into it like a scene in interrogation. "Alright you," he said. "The game's over with! Come out here and face me like a man!"

"Where have I seen this before...?" Geo spat.

"Is he... dead?" Cliff wondered.

The monster regained consciousness after hearing the bird angrily tweet at him. It was on its knees as it was about to make the reveal right in front of the four furry little animals.

It slowly tore its mask off. The pets were surprised upon seeing the face that they all recognized the most.

Lincoln.

"Surprise!" he said. "Bet you guys didn't see this coming huh?"

The pets may be mad at the child for a second, but at the same time, they were impressed. Charles barked as he knocked the kid down. His tail wagged frantically as he licked the boy's face out of excitement.

Lincoln laughed as the pup's tongue tickled him. "Down, Charles! Heel!"

The rest of the pets gave each other high fives with smiles all around. They finally got their mystery solved once and for all. Best of all, the power was back. They were ready to resume their activity back in the living room. Cliff, Geo and Walt headed back up the flight of stairs to the doorway of the basement. They wanted to plan their retribution onto the child one day, especially since Halloween is coming up real soon.

"We're gonna get him back fer this, right?" Cliff quietly asked.

Walt and Geo's responses was quick and simple as they sinisterly rubbed their paws and wings together. "You bet!"

* * *

 **~End~**


	16. Ain't That An Itch?

_Story 15: Ain't That an Itch?_

 ** _Shoutout to EpsilonMk46 for this interesting title!_**

* * *

8:15am

It's a slightly warm Tuesday morning down the neighborhood of Royal Woods. The skies were light gray, leaves were falling off the trees, it's just a regular day in the season of autumn. As a matter of fact, it's really just another average day around the family of the Louds. Wonder what could the family animals be up to during the family's absence from this sweet residence?

Charles was outside, snoring peacefully like never before. There was nothing around the animal to cause any disturbance whatsoever. He dreamed away in a wonderful land of junk food. The dog was happy. Surrounded by all the sweets that he could possibly ever imagine. However, unbeknownst to the dog, that was certainly about to change.

Just out of nowhere, a flea hopped up right next to the snoozing animal. It stared it down as he was about to become the tiny insect's next vulnerable victim. As it jumped up to target the dog, it was unexpectedly blown away by the dog's breath. The flea's sudden bad timing got itself pushed back a couple of inches. It was hopping mad seconds later.

The flea wasn't bound to throw in the towel just yet. To the tiny insect, it was just getting started. A small hesitance later, it's determination was enough to try again. It dove right inside the white canine fur as if it was doing a cannonball. Eventually, the dog's dreaming session was abruptly interrupted by a little itch just above his tail.

Charles woke up howling as if he was in great pain. His immediate reaction to the insect gnawing away at his skin was to scratch away at his back. It lasted for some seconds to no avail. His scratching only helped with some of the itching.

The pup still felt like he was in agony. His back was still itching like heck. He soon resorted to biting around the area of the irritated area for a second to see if that helped.

It wasn't working.

Charles had to figure out another way to stop that itching problem of his. He had his paws over his head while he sadly whined to himself. The poor pup was desperate for a solution to soothe his needs.

Inside the house was Cliff the cat, sleeping on the carpet. He was like a humble angel who deserved the best. Who knows what the feline himself could be dreaming about? Eating fish? Smelling catnip? Playfully knocking stuff down on the floor? Whatever it may be, he was happy in his own little world.

A sudden disturbance dragged in a moment too soon. Charles emerged from the living room doorway as he dragged his canine rump across the living room carpet floor. His audible whining woke the cat up almost immediately. Needless to say, he was feeling a bit cranky.

The cat sat and observed the dog for a short time before he decided to break his silence. "Hey, ya better cut that out before ya get ta like it." he said. That sentence from Cliff got Charles to pause in the middle of soothing his little irritation as he glanced over to the cat.

"Well of course I like it!" he openly stated. "It's one of the things us dogs like ta do, 'n I ain't ashamed ta admit it."

Cliff reacted as if the dog's answer seemed awkward. "Oh, wow..."

He simply brushed it off like it's not anything important. "Anyway, is there any reason yer doin' that?"

"I've got a terrible itch, and nothin' I do seems ta ease the irritation!" Charles answered.

Cliff stared into the dog as he offered him the first suggestion he had on his mind. "I'm sure some ointment or somethin'll help ya out there."

"I got a better idea." Charles said.

"What's that?" Cliff asked out of his curiosity.

Charles sat down in front of the cat, facing away as he made his request. He tried to the best of his ability to not make it sound desperate. "Could ya help scratch my back?"

Cliff's eyes widened a little bit. He barely squinted them a second after. "I ain't doin' that."

Unfortunately denied, Charles had the nerve to beg the cat into doing this task for him. "C'mon, cat! Ya gotta do this fer me! I mean, I took the blame when ya had the guts ta do yer business on this carpet!"

Cliff gasped as if he was really offended. A small bit of hostility filled the triggered cat. "You swore you'd never mention that!"

Charles was serious as if he was a desperate animal looking for help, to which he is. "Well I'm bringin' it up now! Just hurry up 'n scratch me, please!" To add in some effect, Charles gave the feline his sweet puppy eyes. He was certain that it'd always change the mind of any animal or human being.

The feline hesitated for a second before he willingly accepted the dog's request. It worked. He let out a sigh first before he lifted up both of his paws. "Alright fine," he said before his claws extended out. "Let's get this over with."

Cliff casually started scratching away at the dog now. "I can't believe I'm doin' this..." he mumbled under his breath. The latter promptly sighed in relief as if it'd hit the spot. He happily panted and wagged his tail around like it's that one single moment he's been waiting for. It's like growing ecstatic when a pup's owner finally comes home for the day.

"Ahh... thank ya so much fer doin' this, pal." Charles gratefully stated.

"Ya owe me big fer this," Cliff responded. "But don't mention it."

As the feline's scratching session continued, the flea that was bothering the white pup suddenly made a huge leap into the fur of the black cat. It happened in a snap. It's like neither of the animals saw this coming. A quick beat later, the cat spat out a yowl.

Cliff's ears were irritated. He quickly placed the dog's task on hold as he resorted to scratch his ears with his hind paw. Charles took notice of this and turned around to the cat with concern.

"Ow ow ow ow..." Cliff mumbled to himself.

"What's wrong, cat?" Charles asked the poor feline.

"Ya can't figure out the problem here?" Cliff answered without hesitating. "My ears are itchin'!"

Charles was a little confused if not the least bit suspicious. The first thing he noticed was that his back was no longer irritated now. It was that moment that something had hit him. "Now wait just a gosh dang minute." he spat. "Somethin's a lil' suspicious here... I just know it."

"What do ya mean by that?" he curiously asked while he soothed his ears.

Charles squinted his eyes as he slowly rubbed his chin with his paw. "You started itchin' just after I stopped itchin'... what do ya think's goin' on?" Silence took place between the animals before they came to one true realization behind it all. "Cat... you don't think..."

Cliff followed. "That I may have..."

"F-f...Fleas?"

The two pets gulped simultaneously. This clearly was the only logical answer to their problem.

Cliff reacted as if this was some bad news. Really, it was. "Well ain't that an _itch_."

Charles gasped as he was utterly shocked with the pun, yet he was with him on that note. "Cat, watch it! ...But I couldn't agree more."

"What are we gonna do, dog?!" Cliff said, acting like he's about to panic.

Charles thought to himself for a second. "Well..." An idea came rushing in his mind soon after. "Let's see if there's any powder in this house."

"Ya mean baby powder?" Cliff assumed.

The two animals were in the kitchen now. Charles was in the pantry, digging around for something. The pup threw back some condiments, cans, oatmeal, until he found the bottle he was looking for to help with the cat's irritation.

"Nah, flea powder!" Charles corrected.

"Oh." Cliff uttered. "In that case, hit me with it!"

Charles was somewhat struggling to get the bottle of powder open. He shook it around for a couple of seconds to no avail. "C'mon ya darn thing. Open up!" he said before he became angry enough at the item to omit a small growl. He wasn't going to give up just yet.

The dog bit down on the bottle. He had to put some force into it to see if that would do anything. Cliff was quick to notice what was going to happen in a couple of seconds. He had to act as quickly as he could.

"Wait dog, stop!" the feline said as the flea jumped out and dove right into the dog once again. Before he could do anything else, it was a little too late for that now. The bottle burst open, blasting the cat in the face full of powder. Charles quickly took notice and spat the bottle out in front of him. A second or two went by before the cat started to cough. He had some powder shot down his gullet thanks to the inept canine.

"Whoa!" Charles reacted. He knew he would mess this up. "I'm real sorry 'bout that. Are ya alright?"

Cliff was still coughing up a storm. Eventually it would lead to the poor feline coughing up a hairball. He panted as he saw what he'd coughed up. Charles just sat there, watching this all do down before he unwillingly got called out by the feline.

"Well would ya look at that," Cliff sarcastically said to the dog. "Great job."

Charles responded back as bluntly as he could. "Yeah yeah, enough with the sarcasm, cat."

Cliff frantically shook his head from side to side as some of the powder fell off of his face. After the cat finished up, he noticed the irritation on his ears had completely withered out. He stood quietly for a second as he didn't know what to say. Charles proceeded to ask him a question regarding the flea powder all over his face.

"So, did it work?" he asked.

"Actually... yeah it did!" Cliff answered as if he were satisfied with the results. "Thanks!"

"Don't mention it, pal." The white pup said before his dialogue was abruptly interrupted as he shook around followed by another howl. "Arooooo it's back!"

The dog went scratching away at his ear now. It was irritating the pup even more than the first time the flea had caused the animal some of the itching agony.

"Don'tcha worry, dog!" Cliff said to the itching canine. "I gotcha!"

Cliff was quick to grab the bottle and dump it over the dog. Unfortunately, that little mishap from Charles resulted in an empty bottle. Tough break for the cat. "Crud!" he spat. The feline threw the bottle away from behind.

He now had to resort to another alternative for getting rid of the irritation. A couple of seconds had passed by in the day before another plan crossed paths with the cat's mind.

"Eureka!" Cliff said. He had another solution.

"What is it, cat?" Charles curiously asked.

They were upstairs, inside the bathroom now. Some hot, steaming water was running as the tub was almost three fourths full. It was just about ready. Cliff turned the water off before it got a chance to overflow. Charles stared the water down as the steam from the water rose above.

"Alright dog," Cliff said. "Hop on in."

Charles was on the verge of stuttering as he still scratched away at his sensitive ear. He attempted to make up an excuse to not hop in the shower. "I uh... don't think a shower's that necessary..." he said.

"C'mon dog." Cliff said, lowering his eyelids halfway. "This'll definitely help ya out with yer lil' problem."

Charles kept the ruse going as a small stench came drawing out, heading towards Cliff. "Seriously, I just freshened up earlier today!"

The stench of the pup crossed paths with the cat's nose. His tail and ears perked up upon notice. The next thing he did was waft that stench of his away before he made another sarcastic remark.

"I'm sure ya did." Cliff spat. "But that has nothin' ta do with yer itchin'!"

Charles was still rambling on with his excuses. It was up to the point where he didn't remember a single thing the cat had uttered to him. "Just early in the mornin' I was dousin' my fur in the rain, washin' those troubles away so I can have a fresh new-"

Cliff sighed. He was irritated with the pup's hesitation that he had to do the job himself. "Oh, fer cryin' out loud." he spat.

Fed up with the dog's chattering, he lifted the pup off the ground and casually threw him into the steaming bath, but not before the flea jumped out and landed on the back of the short haired feline just above his tail.

The one moment where the dog made contact with the water, it had him howling loud. "Arooooooo!" he reacted, jumping high out of the tub before he landed right next to the baffled cat. He got up a second later. He growled at the cat for what he had to do before he called him out.

"What the heck, cat?" Charles said in angry words.

Cliff brushed it off. He was pretty quick to jump onto the real question about their problem. "There's no time fer me ta apologize. Did it work or not?" he asked.

Charles hesitated as he checked to see if his ear was still irritated. "I dunno..." he responded. As it turned out, it wasn't anymore. "...I think it did work!"

The cat wasn't proved wrong in the slightest. He was satisfied with the plan that came across his mind. He placed a paw over the dog with a smile on his face. "See? I told ya it would work!"

At that moment, Cliff was shaking again. "Yow!" he loudly spat. This time, his rump area was real irritated thanks to that pesky flea. His eyes widened upon noticing his itch. It got to the point where he almost blushed right in front of the pup as if it was an embarrassing place to relieve the irritation.

He gulped.

The cat had no idea what to do from that point. He didn't want Charles to know where his itch was from next. Then again, he was really desperate to get that problem of his under control. He had to figure out something.

"You itchin' again, cat?" Charles asked with concern as if he noticed something wrong upon first glance. Cliff answered back with a small bit of hesitation by slowly nodding his head. "Where?"

"...Do ya really wanna know?" Cliff nervously responded.

"Never mind, I think I know where." the dog winked. "But not ta worry, I got the solution fer that!"

Cliff had a feeling he knew where the dog was going with his plan to help ease his irritated butt. Before he knew what it was, he expressed some sadness and embarrassment.

Charles took the cat outside in the hallway. "Alright cat," he said. "Ya see this thick rug here?"

The feline knew this was coming. He figured the pup would recommend this type of solution. A common activity dogs like him perform on a regular basis. "Oh no..." Cliff uttered to himself.

"I think ya know what ta do." Charles concluded with a wink and a smile.

Cliff clearly hesitated. He wasn't even trying to be subtle about it or anything. As humiliating as it was to literally drag his own butt across the rug, the cat would rather jump into the steaming bath instead. But at least nobody would be around to see the cat drag his own butt across that piece of furniture.

"C'mon, cat." Charles said. "What are ya waitin' for?"

The cat looked back at the tub. It was still steaming in there. He probably wouldn't like the contact of that burning sensation all over his skin. He would wait it out for it to cool off. But, who in the world knew how long it would take for it to reach an acceptable temperature for the cat? The cat had to make a decision right then and there. The steaming tub or the butt drag on the rug?

The itching grew a bit more intense now, to the point it perked the cat's tail upward. Cliff returned his attention to the rug once again. He sighed as if he had no other choice. "I can't believe I'm doin' this." He said, facing towards the reader now.

Still unbeknownst to the two animals, the flea had leaped out from the cat yet again before it landed right in the dog's fur once more. The cat sat his rump down on the edge of the rug. A moment later, he lifted up his hind legs and used his fore paws to scooch forward. He was actually doing it. His rump was growing soothed after each drag on the rug. Charles smirked at the cat as if he thought this was a funny event. It was enough to get him smiling.

Cliff was sighing in relief just when he was about to pause for a second. "Oh my that feels better..." he uttered.

He got up on his fours again before he shook his fur. The cat was feeling better already, despite having to do something unusual for his species in order to reach that objective. "Well. At least I ain't itchin' anymore."

Charles walked over to a relieved Cliff, still with a smirk on his face as if he did something funny, to which he did. Cliff glanced over to the dog before he glared at him. "Never speak of this ta anyone." the cat bluntly said. It was quite embarrassing to him. He was pretty serious.

The white pup's response was simple. He gestured zipping his yap shut before he gave a thumbs up to the feline. As they decided to head down the stairs, Charles jumped an inch in the air. The itching returned to the poor sap. A little whine omitted before he tumbled down the stairs.

"Whoa!" Cliff reacted as he quickly rushed down the flight of stairs. "Are ya alright?"

Charles eyes spiraled out. "That darn itchin' is back."

Cliff was growing irritated with the problem. He facepalmed a second after. "Oh son of a..."

Charles was quick to interfere. He knew what kind of humor he was going for. "Don't say it, cat!" he said. "Not in front of the kids!"

From that point, the flea somehow managed to multiply. A couple of them made a huge leap as they blended into Cliff's fur undetected as the cat utterly sighed. "Ya know I would never step into that kind a territory, dog." he said. "Calm yer buns."

Unbeknownst to the feline, Charles was back to dragging his rump across the carpet. "Ya don't see me tryin' here?" the dog said before whimpering.

Cliff was starting to itch again. This time, his fore leg was the one being irritated. He shook from the sudden irritance before he scratched away at the affected area. Only this time, it felt like it was spreading. Which this case, it definitely was.

They had no idea what to do. They already tried the flea powder and the bath to no avail. They didn't know they were facing several determined fleas to cause them to have such an irritating morning. They really didn't do anything that might have led to this problem. Seconds of scratching nonstop, tranquil fury filled the cat. He had enough of it.

"That's it!" Cliff spat in angry words. He would soon reach the point of desperation that he would try anything that'll help solve their problem. Even if it seemed the least bit unorthodox, he was all ears.

"All this itchin' 'n whinin' 'n moanin' isn't gonna help us in the slightest!" he angrily said.

Charles grew just as irritated as the feline. "I can't stand this darn itchin'!" the pup stated. "What are we gonna do?"

Cliff squinted his eyes as he stared menacingly at the canine. He was about to hitch a plan that's so crazy that it just might work. "Ya wanna know what we're gonna do?" he asked.

"Yeah, cat!" Charles answered. "Anythin'!"

The cat gave off the details. "Alright, I was thinkin' that maybe-"

Geo rolled in, interrupting Cliff with a suggestion of his own when they least expected it. "You could try some oatmeal!" he said, smiling.

The two pets were confused now. They were pretty sure that food wasn't going to help their troubles in the slightest. Cliff glanced over to the hamster. "Are ya kiddin' me, Ham?"

Charles did the same. "How the heck's food gonna help stop this itchin' problem we have?"

"No really!" Geo assured. "Trust me with this. I like to do a bit of research in my spare time."

The hamster rolled away. "You'll see!" Charles and Cliff were left thinking about his suggestion. It could work, but then again, it might not. Those words had those two pets spark up a discussion. At the same time, they were still scratching away at their irritation.

"Eh... should we believe him?" Charles asked.

Cliff was silent for a quick second. "I dunno, dog." he responded. He was actually a little bit desperate. Soon enough he grew to the hamster's idea. "But I will admit, I'm willin' enough ta try anythin' at this point."

"Me too, cat." Charles agreed. "Me too."

Cliff was ready to try the hamster's suggestion now. He was determined to get his itching under control once and for all.

"To the kitchen!" the cat spat before he zipped to the kitchen. Charles did the same a split second later.

Five Minutes Later

The two pets were rolling around in oatmeal. In their mind, the hamster's suggestion was probably the most weird and unorthodox they've ever heard from him. Before they knew it, it was surprisingly effective. The fleas that bothered to two suddenly decided to retreat. They finally gave up. It seemed too much for them.

Charles and Cliff were quick to notice that their irritated areas completely started to wither out as they continued to lather around in the product. They gasped a little before they paused and glanced at each other with a smile.

"No way!" Charles reacted.

"I don't believe it!" Cliff said. "It actually worked!"

Charles was finally relieved now. Same thing with Cliff. "Who knew that this stuff would help with all that itchin'?"

The cat felt like he would owe Geo his debt for the suggestion he had on his mind. It was a satisfying alternative for the two animals to experience. "And it's all thanks ta Ham!"

The dog and the cat got up with smiles on their faces. They sighed in great relief that it was finally all over. Victory belonged to the animals today, and there was nothing they needed to worry about now.

Up until Lynn Sr. entered the kitchen without warning. The man of the house caught a full sight of the two animals covered in oatmeal. They turned around to see the man scowling directly at the two. They jumped as his sudden appearance caught them both off their guard.

"Well Charles, Cliff." the man said before he walked towards the two. "I thought I told you two to stay out of the pantry!" He grabbed onto the two by their backs.

"You're not getting any treats for today, but guess what you are gonna get? _A hot steaming bath!_ "

Charles and Cliff's ears perked up to the man's answer before they glanced towards the reader with a whine and a meow.

* * *

 **~End~**


	17. Chester

_Story 16: Chester_

* * *

12:30 pm

It's a wonderful Friday afternoon down in the good neighborhood of Royal Woods. The skies are clear, temperatures were humid. Heck, there's barely even a single cloud in the area. Even the yellow and orange leaves are greatly falling off the trees. Of course at a time like this, the kids were still in school, enduring all those boring lessons. They really couldn't wait to come back home to enjoy yet another loud weekend in the household.

In the backyard, Charles was happily chasing Cliff around as if they were playing a game of tag. Barking and meowing ensued from the two animals for seconds until the canine took a huge leap towards the swift feline. He inevitably tackled him down without a problem as they rolled together like a truck tire before they collapsed inches away from the porch.

"Gotcha, cat!" Charles said with a smile.

"Yep, ya did." Cliff neutrally responded. "Now kindly get yer rump off my belly."

The dog did so without having to hesitate. Cliff was feeling energetic enough to turn the tables around for once. He wanted to chase after the dog now.

"Alright dog," the cat spat. "Now it's my turn ta come after ya!"

Charles got himself prepared with a smirk. "Oh no ya don't!" he said before he started running off. Cliff followed him soon after. The chasing went on for some seconds as their barking and meowing continued on. As they were continuing the chase, a small little whine omitted from somewhere in the backyard.

It caught the two pets off their guard. They paused right in the middle of their chase as they listened in to the sounds of mewing. They spent a good portion of their time wondering where it could be coming from.

"Hey, ya hear that?" Charles said.

Cliff barely twitched his ears. "Loud 'n clear, dog." he responded. A second or two passed by before the cat had a suspicion. He had a feeling the source of the sound came from behind a couple of trashcans, located just beside the porch.

"Could it be comin' from over there?" the cat pointed over to the bins.

Charles thought to himself as he listened in for a few more seconds. He had a feeling the feline may be correct. "Ya could be right there." he said, walking closer and closer to the trashcans. "Let's go see what it is."

They were a couple of inches from the items now. Charles stopped next to them as he put his paw out to stop Cliff from proceeding any closer. They took the time to listen in one last time. The two animals perked up after a second. There was definitely some mewing going on behind there.

The dog was going to take a look behind there. He deeply inhaled and exhaled before he popped his head to the other side of the bins. The one thing the white pup saw much to his surprised reaction was a young, stray kitty the size of the palm of a human hand. It was real sad, to the point where it didn't feel like getting up to move around.

Charles' ears flopped at the sight of the innocent animal. He didn't know what to do for the poor thing. In the eyes of the pit bull, it was like his first born child. It had a similar color coating just like him.

"Hey you..." Charles uttered. "What's wrong? ...Are ya okay?"

The kitty didn't respond.

It didn't take long for Cliff to take a peek behind the bins due to his shear curiosity. Questions ensued for the feline as he looked on at the poor kitty. Was it lost? Was it somewhat abandoned by it's owner? There weren't any tags on it or anything. There was a good chance that it didn't even have a name.

The feels hit the feline more than the dog. They both started to feel bad for the animal. They wanted to have the nerve to help it out however they could. Even if it meant putting their lives at a risk, or having to duke it out with the employees of the Green Mile Pet Sanctuary once again. It was like being the father of an animal they've never had.

"Aww, poor thing..." The cat uttered as he glanced over to the dog. "We gotta do somethin'." he said.

"Yer tellin' me." Charles responded, walking over to the pup before he softly stroked his back. "Remember back a couple episodes where we took care of that kid?"

Cliff knew exactly where this was going. He didn't even have to guess. "We're gonna take 'em in and take good care of it?"

"That's exactly the plan I was thinkin' of, pal." Charles answered, smiling happily. The kitty was enlightened to the sound of possibly getting a home. It was like a pet's dream come true. It was happy to the point where it wanted to meow and spin around in circles. Its ecstatic expression got him to do just that in a matter of seconds.

Cliff started to have second thoughts after thinking about it for a brief moment. "I dunno 'bout that, dog."

The dog tried to get Cliff to consider. "Aw c'mon." he said. "If takin' care of a kid's an easy feat, how bad can it be for this lil' furball?"

Cliff sighed as he grabbed a hold of the kitty. It purred, influencing the feline to lighten up. "Well, least it beats changin' smelly diapers." He wafted the air halfway through his sentence. "In all honesty, I couldn't take that kid fartin' around us."

"Bah, she's just a child." Charles said, brushing it off like it's nothing serious. "That's all just a part of life, my friend. Ain't nothin' ta be embarrassed about."

That sentence from the dog put a smile on the feline's face. "Well... you're not wrong." The cat's face was determined. He was ready for this. Here's to hoping that having a small new addition to the family wouldn't be much of a hassle.

"C'mon, let's do this!" he said.

* * *

Inside the living room, Rita was on the edge. She was irritated about the big mess she just had to spend about an hour on cleaning, all thanks to the pets. However, most of that responsibility belonged to the canine and the feline. But this was one of the risks she was willing to take as she had to nurture and care for such a huge family. She bent down on her fours soon after as she cleaned away the stains that were still on the carpet floor. Walt was in his cage, observing her actions as Geo rolled next to him.

"Those dang animals," the mother said. "Always working on my nerve sometimes."

To no surprise, Walt felt like he was offended. He rolled his eyes as if that wasn't even close to being true. Geo stood there, not reacting to her words. It was like it didn't even faze the small hamster.

"I swear, if they make another mess, or bring one more thing in this house, they are outta here!"

Walt silently gasped along with Geo. They clearly didn't seem to remember doing anything bad since they were just small animals. They were concerned. As of now, they were willing to try their best not to let things escalate down the hill.

Rita was done cleaning up the mess the animals had made and promptly walked her way back to the kitchen. She stopped about halfway to the open doorway of the dining room as she observed Charles and Cliff emerge from the room. She had to set things straight to them while she had the chance.

"Oh, there you are." the woman sternly said, much to the surprise of the two pets. "Now you listen to me, don't you two make not another mess, or bring another single solitary item in this house! Not one more of either!"

Charles and Cliff stared blankly at the woman as if they had no idea what she was talking about. As she continued warning them, the dog attempted to go incognito with the kitty behind him. He stuffed the kitty into the trophy cabinet beside him, in hopes that she wouldn't notice.

"Or else you animals are sleeping outside for the rest of this month." Rita said. "You hear me?"

Charles and Cliff simply nodded in agreement. It was only less than a week or so. To them it seemed like weeks, but that was a risk they were going to take as they were in a rock and a hard place. They didn't know they couldn't make another mess or bring any outside items in until after they snuck the young kitty in the house.

"Good!" the woman concluded as she walked her way into the kitchen.

Tensions were rising for them. They had no idea what to do from there. If only human beings could understand what the pets were saying, it would've been a lot easier for all parties involved. For now, they were met with a new task. They had to try their best to keep the mother of the house and the young kitty from ever crossing paths.

"Dog, what the heck are we gonna do?!" Cliff frantically exclaimed, shaking the white dog out of fear.

Charles calmed the fraidy feline down. "Relax, pal. Everything's goin' fine so far!"

Walt and Geo quickly approached the dog and the cat with a suspicious vibe in their heads. "What did you do now?" Walt asked.

Geo examined their unusual actions. "Frantic dialogue, concerned attitude, the moist noses... is there something wrong?" he said.

Cliff looked around to check if they were in the clear. He turned back to Walt and Geo soon after. "Ya bet there is." he answered. "We're in some real deep predicaments!"

"We were just tryin' ta help find this kitty we found a new home." Charles sincerely added as the kitty emerged from the cabinet unnoticed. The animal ran with a cup over its head, completely blocking his view.

"What are you talking about?" Walt asked.

"Does it have a name?" Geo added.

"We found the poor thing left stranded alone behind the trash bins in the backyard." Charles answered the bird.

"We felt really bad for it and we decided to help!" Cliff added. "Also it didn't have any tags on it or anythin' so I dunno its name or if it's a boy or a girl."

The bird sincerely gave his advice to the animals. "Have you guys tried peeking at it's-"

Charles quickly interfered Walt as shock filled him in a snap. "Bird!" He yelled, pointing to the reader as he gave him an irate glance.

Walt took notice of the reader, realizing the reader's appearance. "Oh... right." he uttered before looking back at the two animals. "But seriously, are you two insane?! We're gonna get kicked out into the streets if the woman finds out about that-"

Too late. Screaming ensued from the kitchen, interrupting the bird yet again. It was Rita, she was startled by the sight of a moving cup. "Aah! A mouse!" she exclaimed. Unbeknownst to her, it was the little kitty. It wandered around aimlessly as it continued to bump into the walls and the appliances inside.

The pets were quick to take notice. "Uh oh." Charles uttered. He was scared that things would be quick to escalate. The kitty ran about in the living room now, still wandering around with it's blocked vision. "There it is!"

Walt and Geo were surprised at this sudden appearance. The bird started to lash out at the two animals. "Hurry! Do something!" he exclaimed.

"Right!" Cliff responded as he chased after the animal. Charles followed him almost immediately after.

Geo thought to himself for a mere moment. "Where have I seen this before..?"

The cup was leaned up against the wall now. It didn't take long before Cliff picked it up, only to find there was a mouse hole behind it. The two pets were surprised. It caught them both off their guard.

"Huh?" Cliff uttered. "I don't remember this hole bein' here in this house..."

"Me neither, cat." Charles added. "How long has that been there?"

Cliff inserted his paw in the mouse hole as he dug around in there for some seconds. Unbeknownst to the feline, there was a mouse trap inside. A snap omitted soon after, causing him to meow loudly in pain.

"Ow ow ow ow!" he exclaimed, pulling his paw out from the hole as he waved it about. Charles made his move by doing the exact same thing. He stuck his paw into the hole. He had a feeling the he got the little kitty in the palm of his white paws.

"Aha, gotcha!" he said. As he extracted his paw while he wasn't paying close attention, he had no idea that he was carrying an actual mouse. He set the rodent right on his back before he walked away from the cat. The feline paid attention to what was on his back before he started to utter some words.

"Uh... dog?" he said, influencing Charles to stop walking and turn to the cat.

"Yeah?" Charles responded. The first thing he noticed upon looking back was that the kitty was sleeping right in his doggy bed before he turned to his back. He finally realized that he instead grabbed the mouse living in the hole. It flicked his nose, causing him to yelp before it jumped off the canine's back.

Charles was irritated that the mouse resorted to an action like that. He rubbed his nose to soften the disproportionate pain. At the same time, he was confused. But there wasn't any time for questions. They were determined to keep the kitty a secret from the mother of the house.

Walt noticed the small kitty making way for the parents room. "Guys! The kitty's headed for the bedroom!"

They had to act as fast as they can. What if Lynn Sr. was in there? The dog zipped inside the bedroom as fast as lightning. A few seconds later he emerged from the room in shock. He saw something he wouldn't expect to see in his life as a dog.

Cliff was impatient and frantic, along with Geo and Walt. "What are ya doin', dog?" the feline said. "Get 'em!"

Charles was too stunned to even think properly. He blushed a second after the cat asked him that question. "I ain't goin' back in there..."

The feline sighed before he approached the door. "Oh fer cryin' out loud."

Charles stopped him before Cliff could enter. He was very serious with what he had witnessed in the bedroom. "No cat!" he said out of fear. "Don't go in there! Get the heck outta dodge while ya still can!"

Cliff was tough enough to do so anyway. He knew the pain he had to endure seeing a lot of things that he can't wipe off of his memory. It was for the kitty, and he wasn't planning to risk getting thrown out of the house.

The feline grabbed the dog's arms. "Trust me dog, I've seen a lotta things in my life too. Even if it was somethin' I wasn't supposed ta see. I'd imagine whatever's in there won't be any different." He inhaled and exhaled. "I'm goin' in."

And thus he did. He was a brave but domesticated cat, willing to conquer and face anything life had to throw at him. The first thing he saw was the kitty driving around in a toy car. He freaked. He had to act fast. He jumped in to grab the animal to no avail. Unfortunately, that only led to the black feline slamming down of the hood, launching him on top of his ball of yarn.

It struggled to keep it's balance. It was headed toward the backside of Lynn Sr. in his bath robe. "What did I do with those shoes..?"

Cliff's eyes widened. He didn't have much time. He made his daring attempt to stop him before the yarn knocked him off, land on the backside of the man. "I could've sworn they were under- YOW!"

The man turned around almost immediately. He noticed Cliff with his claws digging deep in the gluteus maximus area of his bath robe. He blushed as he awkwardly gave a sheepish smile while the man glared at the feline.

Walt shook his head. The bird knew he had conquered something like this before. "I can't believe you had to chicken out like that." he angrily said.

"That's cause ya don't know what was behind that door!" Charles rebutted.

"Please." Geo interfered. "I mean, you've seen that baby naked in this house countless times so-"

"That's cause she's just a baby!" Charles said as if his reasoning was justified. "I don't mind the kid but this is somethin' else _entirely_!"

A conclusion was met as Lynn Sr. started screaming. "Cliff, take that ball of yours and get out!" Cliff was quick to jump out of the room. He sighed out of relief after doing so.

"That was close." he said, showing the kitty to the rest of the pets with a satisfied grin. "See dog? Told ya it wouldn't be a problem."

The kitty's stomach started growling. It was way past lunchtime. For the pets, anytime of the day is lunch or dinnertime as usual. They were surprisingly greedy animals whenever the family isn't around to watch them. They were a bit surprised that nobody in the house even noticed how intelligent they really were.

"Eh, you guys hungry?" Cliff said.

Charles answered the cat as Walt and Geo nodded in agreement. "Always! Ya know how we are."

* * *

 _Few Minutes Later_

The pets were stacked on top of each other. From Geo, Charles and Cliff with the kitty balancing on top of the feline sans Walt. They tried their best keeping their balance as they are about to raid the pantry for the treats. As the feline grabbed hold of the handles, they were unexpectedly cut off by the sound of Rita ascending the stairs to come back into the kitchen through the basement from washing clothes.

"Cheese it! It's the lady!" Walt exclaimed. The other pets came collapsing down to the checkered floor below them. The kitty on the other hand wasn't so fortunate. He landed right in the bowl of batter on the counter.

Rita observed the pets piled up into a group before she spoke to them. "What are you all up to now?" she suspiciously asked. The pets glanced towards each other as if they haven't done anything guilty.

"Now, out." she commanded as the pets gladly obeyed. "I don't need any kind of foolishness from you guys while I'm making something sweet for the family."

The four were at the doorway to the kitchen now. A second passed before they all realized the kitty was nowhere to be seen around them. They all started to panic.

"Wait a sec!" Cliff uttered looking from his left and right. "Where's the little furball?"

The rest of the pets looked all around the dining room. It was nowhere to be seen.

"Oh no, we're goners!" Geo worried.

"Of all the things that could've happened," Walt said. "It just had to be this!"

Charles peeked back into the kitchen. He observed the woman going through the cabinet, looking around for some sugar to use. The kitty popped up out of the bowl, unaware of what was going on.

The dog gasped. "There it is!" Charles pointed, grabbing the attention of the others. They looked inside, copying the dog's surprised reaction. Things were getting intense.

"Somebody do something!" Geo quickly suggested. As Rita was still looking for the sugar, Charles grew determined as he quickly zipped in to the rescue. He was inches away from reaching inside the bowl until he got caught by the mother.

"Charles!" she exclaimed. "What do you think you're doing?! Please be patient!"

The dog ran back into the dining room faster than when he ran in. His heart felt like it was punching through his chest trying to save the kitty. The animals sat nervously, watching the woman add sugar and milk into the batter, not knowing the kitty was still inside. They were worried it was going to drown, or escalate to something worse.

They grew more surprised as they gasped at the sight of her preparing to use the mixer to mix the ingredients together. Without getting a chance to react, Rita switched on the mixer. Thankfully for the pets, it somehow wasn't working.

Rita was confused. "Oh, what is it now?" She turned around to observe Cliff, hiding the unplugged cord behind his back as he whistled innocently. "Cliff!"

Catching the feline off guard, she yanked on the cord, pulling it out of the cat's paws. "Give me that cord!"

She plugged it back in not long after while Cliff smiled sheepishly at the woman. "I'm getting sick of all this tomfoolery you animals are doing!"

The cat gulped. The pets' options were extremely thin from this point. Reacting out on impulse, Cliff grabbed the can of whipped cream from the fridge, passing it on to Charles. He knew what to do. The dog sprayed the cream all around his mouth, making him appear rabid. It was sure to work, since they managed to get free pizza with this trick.

The dog was ready. He approached the woman growling and barking, attempting to scare her off. Unfortunately for him, she wasn't even fazed in the slightest. She could quickly tell that was the whipped cream the animals were using behind her back.

Rita gasped in shock. "My whipped cream!" she exclaimed. Charles reacted innocently like he didn't see this coming at all along with the rest of the pets. "That's it!"

She grabbed a hold of the dog, along with the cat as she took them outside. "You two are staying out!"

Unbeknownst to everyone, the kitty managed to escape from the bowl of batter before it was too late. It jumped down on the checkered floor before it hid under the table. Rita came back inside the house with a small sigh.

"Finally, now I can get this finished and out of the way." she said before switching on the mixer. This time it worked. Charles and Cliff popped their heads through the doggy door. They were in complete shock, hearing the sound of the mixer running. Their eyes widened overtime as they soon noticed that the kitty was being blended in the batter. It was absolutely mortifying.

They pulled their heads back out as they couldn't bear to look at another second of the mixer. There was nothing else they could do now. Sadness and despair filled the two animals. Cliff was on the urge of crying as if he just witnessed a cruel action served inside the kitchen. To them, it certainly did. It hit them like a hard punch in the gut.

A couple seconds in, the feline started bawling. "Oh dog, what have we done! How could we just let this happen?!"

Charles started shedding tears, throwing his canine head down. "I can't believe ourselves, lettin' that woman blend that poor thing!" he exclaimed.

Cliff was in need of comfort. He hugged the saddened pup. "He was like a son ta me! A fella that could warm the hearts a millions!"

Charles immediately hugged the feline back. "I know, cat. I know. He was... like a son ta me too." He had nothing else to say. They were to saddened to keep their dialogue between them going.

* * *

Half Hour Later

The dog and the cat were still laying outside running the waterworks while the whining ensued. A second passed before Rita opened the door to the back porch. She figured that she might have been too hard on the animals.

"Alright Charles, Cliff," she said. "You two are free to come back inside now."

Back inside the living room, the two pets were still in a deep depression. Walt and Geo approached them once again, this time with concern filling their expressions.

"There you guys are!" Walt said.

"You guys alright?" Geo worriedly asked.

Charles gave a sigh before he answered. "It's... been better..."

Cliff added immediately after. "Better indeed..."

"Well what happened?" Geo asked.

Rita approached the pets with a cookie platter cover. "Such sad faces you all have." she said, grabbing each of their undivided attention. "I know exactly what'll cheer you animals up."

She set the platter down on the carpet in front of the pets before she removed the cover of the cookie platter. It revealed only four cat shaped cookies, hot and ready to be devoured. "Here you go!"

The sight of the cookies sitting right in front of the pets gave them all the depressing implication that the poor kitty was turned into a sweet treat to eat. Charles and Cliff were about to start the waterworks again as Geo and Walt's mouths agape.

"Go ahead, take one!" she said before she walked back into her bedroom. Charles was shaking now. He was the first to slowly grab a cookie from the platter. He spent a good second examining it before he placed the cookie on his back. Nostalgia filled the saddened pup as he started whimpering.

Horror and sadness filled the bird and the hamster. "Oh no..." Geo whispered.

"It can't be..." Walt sadly added.

A second later, Charles had no other choice but to let it all out. The dog was very broken now. He cried and howled as he was very hurt with all of the things that had escalated to this. Cliff was on the edge of crying again for some bit of time before the dog's crying inevitably got him to do the same.

Geo and Walt glanced at each other before they sympathetically threw their heads down, as they were also to the point of almost tearing up. They felt the urge to go over to comfort them. Given their amount of sadness, they could really need some at a time like this.

Walt flew on top of the feline, hugging him softly as Geo rolled in between the two animals. "It'll be okay, you guys." the bird sincerely said.

"You guys did everything you could." the hamster added.

Their depressed bawling continued for a good while. Unbeknownst to them all, the kitty approached them until he was about a yardstick away. It's mewing caught all the animals off guard as it got them to stop their crying. They got a sight full of the kitty right in front of them in the living flesh, before they happily rushed over to it with tears of joy.

The cat picked him up, happily smooching its face unconditionally. "Chester! You're alive!"

The dog did the same soon after before he snuggled the kitty. "Oh, thank goodness yer okay!"

Walt was confused. "...Chester?"

"I swear, I've seen this somewhere before..." Geo said.

They all came together for a group hug, as if they were showering the young feline with their affection. Their sights turned to Rita standing just behind them as she grabbed their attention with a cough. She tapped her foot on the carpet as disappointment filled her expression.

Her appearance caught them off their guard once again. It was over. The one and only path the pets tried so desperately to not let happen finally made its connection. They looked at each other as they didn't know what to do from this point onward. Charles and Cliff's ears flopped down as they realized they had only one option left as they started whimpering simultaneously.

Begging.

The two approached the woman at her feet as they held onto her pants legs. Mewing and whining ensued for a while in hopes to get Rita to reconsider and change her mind. She felt bad for the pets. It was like taking a child away from their parents. Their persistent begging was clearly getting to her. Sympathy filled the woman before she spoke to them once again. It couldn't hurt to have another pet, and it didn't look like it'd be much trouble.

"Will you two calm yourselves?" she said, influencing the pets to loosen their grip on her legs. "You can keep that little friend of yours for a little while, but on one-"

She was interrupted mid-sentence by the Charles and Cliff happily smooching at her feet. "Stop that." Rita commanded and blushed as the pets gladly obeyed her. "On one condition. It's your responsibility. You have to take care of it. You hear me?"

Charles and Cliff nodded at the woman without having to hesitate. Rita finally headed back into the bedroom. "Alright." she said before she closed the door.

The dog and the cat walked over to Chester with a stern expression. "Now listen here you," Charles said. "Dont'cha ever scare us like that again!"

Cliff gave a bit of remorse. "Though in all honestly, it's mostly our fault."

Geo and Walt glared at the cat. "Our fault?!"

Cliff continued his apology with a small tear. "I had no idea I would put ya in danger like that. I shoulda been more careful with youse." he said, before he petted Chester on the head. "Can ya ever forgive me?"

Chester responded by jumping up to his face, giving him a small lick on his cheek. Cliff's ears perked up. He was happy enough to pick Chester off the carpet and snuggle with him in his arms, all while he purred.

"That's my boy!" Cliff happily said.

Charles, Walt and Geo all gathered in for another affectionate hug. "We love ya, Chester!" the dog said.

Chester smiled with a small meow.

* * *

 **~End~**

 **A/N: In case you haven't figured it out yet, this story is heavily based on one of my favorite Merrie Melodies shorts, specifically "Feed the Kitty". I decided to go for it after seeing some Loud House fanart based on the short alone by eagc7.**


	18. The Feast Of These

_Story 17: The Feast of These_

* * *

12:00pm

The four pets were sitting on the couch feeling somewhat cranky. Their stomachs were rumbling as if they were like a volcano planning to erupt soon. Charles was the one most upset. He was hungrier than the rest of the pets put together. He was waiting hours for some nourishment. Unfortunately, he had no choice but to wait a little longer than he expected.

"Well doesn't this bite," Charles growled. "First the humans had the nerve to deny us somethin' ta eat fer today, and now they're out 'n about!"

"I am so ticked off." Walt bluntly stated.

"Of course, everyone can see that." Geo responded. "And don't worry, dog. There's always some treats in the pantry we can always get into."

Charles decided to brush those words off. "Bah, I'm tired a those treats. I feel like I could go fer somethin' a little different fer once."

Cliff turned to Charles before he patted the white docile dog on the back. "I'm with ya on that, dog." he winked.

Walt and Geo nodded soon after. Eventually, one of the pets would be in the mood to watch some television to pass some time until the family returned. "Would one of you guys switch the television on?" Geo asked. "Hopefully some entertainment will take our mind off this hunger of ours for a while."

Cliff sighed. "Alright," he uttered. The cat whipped out a remote control and switched the power on to the television. It broadcasted a never before seen advertisement as it displayed an huge array of junk food.

"And with that, there's this and much more down at the Junk Trunk." The man said over the sweet pop tune playing in the background. "Get it while it lasts for a limited time."

The food had the dog inevitably salivating. It was very tempting to them as it would influence him to satisfy his needs. Charles frantically wagged his little tail. He heavily panted on the sight of the goodness immediately after, making contact with his puppy irises. Cliff, Walt and Geo were being tempted like this was an offer they couldn't refuse. They tried their best to not let their hunger get the better of their behavior.

However, the hamster of the group was quick to throw out another command for the cat to follow, but not before letting out a small sigh. "Switch the channel, cat!" The hamster said. Cliff was quick on his tail to do so in a snap. The television switched to another commercial, this time, displaying cheese.

The picture of cheddar only managed to get Cliff to snap out of it the second he saw the piece of food on the screen. He was utterly in disgust, to the point where he gagged. "Oh, that's disgustin'!" The cat spat. "Who in the everlovin' heck would devour that... stuff?"

Cliff faced the reader soon after. "Seriously, try sniffin' that crud fer a good second 'n you'll see exactly what I'm talkin' about."

The brown hamster and the yellow bird were slowly losing it as they still looked on at the advertisements for food. They were trying hard, but it was becoming a losing battle towards the two pets. The cat returned his attention to the television before he switched it to another channel. This time, it was another advertisement for steak. Geo and Walt salivated a little bit more now. The satisfaction of the well cooked meat had the two melting.

Charles on the other hand, was ecstatic. "Meeeeat!" he happily said. His irises turned into red hearts as the dog licked his lips several times. "Hoo boy! Come ta papa!"

A second later, he got up from the family couch and immediately zipped towards the television. He hopped up on the screen, happily licking the screen as if he was in his own little world. Walt and Geo's severe temptation were on the verge of getting them to do the same thing the dog was doing.

"Oh that's it!" Walt uttered. "I need something to eat!" The bird zipped over to the television screen followed by Geo close behind. It was clearly inevitable that their hunger would get the better of them. Cliff joined the three animals soon after.

"Wait fer me!" he uttered before he ran to the television. He jumped up to the screen, hitting his face upon impact before he fell back on the floor. His force was just enough to get the television to start rocking back and forth before it inevitably fell forward, hitting the carpet below upon impact.

 _*CRASH*_

The four pets were surprised, influencing a small jump from everyone as if the loud sound of the television making contact with the floor caught them all off their guard. It was clearly enough to snap them all out of their worlds.

"Whoa!" Geo said. "What has gotten into us?"

Charles caressed his head. "This is what delicacies do ta us sometimes..." he said. "I'm so hungry that I could tear through all this furniture if I wanted ta."

"Ohhh... I can't take this cruel torture any longer." Walt desperately said.

Cliff threw his paw to the floor. "That's it," the cat said. "It's time we do somethin' about this!"

"Yeah!" Charles and Geo simultaneously said.

"Obviously." Walt added.

Cliff walked in a line back and forth as if this was the military. "We've been waitin' all mornin' like good pets for our family to get us somethin' ta eat. Somethin' we've been lookin' forward to every single day of the week. But did we get it?"

Charles, Geo and Walt angrily answered the cat. "No!"

"Right! I'm hungry, gosh dang it! And we're not gonna wait ta be fed like this!" Cliff bluntly shouted as the three pets cheered with glee. It lasted for a few seconds before the feline walked towards the kitchen with a determined attitude. "C'mon ya guys, let's get our hunger under control!"

Charles, Geo and Walt followed the cat without hesitance.

* * *

The four animals set foot into the kitchen now, all wondering what they would have a taste for at an hour like this. Charles had himself thinking as he sat in front of the fridge, scratching his head.

"Alright everyone," Cliff said, sitting in front of the fridge. "Whatcha want ta eat?"

"As long as it's not that generic pet food we eat all the time, I'm down." Charles answered the cat.

"Same here." Geo and Walt added.

"Alrighty then," Cliff continued. "Let's start with the fridge!"

The cat turned to the kitchen appliance behind him. He grabbed a hold of the handles and opened both the doors. The animals got an amazing eye full of food they had the access to. From citrus fruits, frozen meats and two day leftovers, it was like heaven to them.

Hearts floated all around the four pets as they gazed upon the food. They all oohed as they had absolutely no idea where to start.

"Jackpot." Cliff smirked.

"Oh my." Geo uttered.

"Delicious." Charles happily said.

"Wow." Walt uttered.

Cliff rubbed his paws together as sinisterly as possible. "Alright pals, take your pick." the feline said. "It's time ta chow down!"

Charles was quick on his tail to interrupt the cat. He had a potential idea on his mind that he was thinking about executing. "Wait a second there cat." he said. "Instead of eatin' all these leftover food we still got, how about we try our paws at cookin' somethin?"

The canine turned to the bird and the hamster now. "Eh? What do ya say?"

Walt wasn't completely sure about the dog's idea. "I don't know about that." he answered with concern.

"Heck why not?" Geo neutrally answered. "Maybe it could be a nice little experience for the four of us."

Cliff pulled the father's leftover casserole out of the fridge. "Beats havin' ta eat this junk." he said in disgust. He soon opened the kitchen window and threw the man's casserole out with a good amount of force. The cat turned back to Charles. "Alright then, dog. What are we gonna cook?"

"Make it quick too," Walt added. "We don't have all day."

The dog went to the fridge, digging around for something to whip up. First, he came across a pound of frozen steak. He soon grabbed a hold of it and presented the item to the three pets.

"How 'bout some steak?" Charles suggested.

Cliff, Walt and Geo thought about it for a moment. Their decisions on having steak was a bit mixed for the dog to tell. Cliff simply shrugged as if he wasn't sure about having steak to munch on. Knowing Charles, he'll be all over it before the kids could even get to it.

Charles put the steak back in the fridge. "We'll save that fer later I suppose." he said. He looked back in the fridge before he whipped out some frozen turkey. He sincerely suggested with "What about some bird?"

To no surprise from any of the animals, Walt felt offended. "Excuse you?!"

Charles' eyes widened at the sight of the angry bird, causing him to drop the turkey. He sincerely apologized to him as if a lengthy bond was on the line. "Sorry, bird." he said, sheepishly smiling.

"You better be." Walt bluntly replied as the dog dug for more food for the pets.

Geo was concerned for Walt. "Gosh, why do you have to be so angry all the time?"

Walt crossed his wings. "I'd rather not engage in this conversation."

Charles got his paws on a dozen frozen patties that were extremely close to their expiration date. The dog had a good feeling that this next offer he was about to make would not be refused to the three pets. The third time was going to be a charm in the mind of a white docile dog.

"Alright ya guys," Charles said before showing off the item he had his paws on. "How about some patties?"

That offer had Cliff, Geo and Walt thinking for a good few seconds. They thought it would be nice to chow on some hamburgers as if they've never even had one before in their lives. Curiosity would overcome them sooner or later along with their growling guts to get the trio to make the decision.

"Sure?" Walt said.

"Looks promising." Geo added with a subtle little smile.

"I was more in the mood fer chicken breasts, but sure why not!" Cliff concluded.

That sentence from the feline provoked a small reaction from everyone. It even got Charles to wag his tail at some point. Cliff was unsure why the dog, the hamster and the bird smirked towards him.

"What?" Cliff said. "They're really good, y'all oughta try 'em sometime."

"We definitely will, cat." Charles said with a wink and a smile. "Anyway, we don't have a grill do we?"

* * *

The four pets were outside now. Charles and Cliff were wearing bland, white aprons. The grill was loaded and ready to go as the charcoal inside was up in flames. Cliff launched a third of the frozen patties onto the grill as if he was dealing some playing cards. They were sizzling now as the heat quickly defrost them.

"And we have liftoff!" Cliff said.

"Yeah baby!" Charles added.

Walt was still concerned about the dog's plan. What if something goes wrong for them? Or even worse, what if they were caught?

"Are you sure we can pull this off?" Walt curiously asked.

"Anythin's possible bird," Charles answered. "If ya put yer mind to it."

"Dog's right." Geo agreed. "It's all about the potential we have. If you think you can, then yes you can."

The patties were definitely sizzling now. Charles emerged up to the grill as he took a good whiff of the patties being grilled to perfection. In the canine's mind, it was like an amazing masterpiece that has willingly entered the animal's nostrils after a long while.

"Ahh, smell that boys?" the dog said, influencing Cliff, Walt and Geo to do the same thing. They all inhaled the moment for a second before it had the animals melting.

"Mmm... It smells wonderful, dog." Cliff answered.

"It's something to remember for a while." Geo added.

"Nice." Walt added.

"Smells like they should be ready any minute now!" Charles said before licking his lips.

"I can already taste the meaty goodness!" Cliff added.

Just before the patty meat was well done, a bird dropping unfortunately came in contact with all four of the patties. They were all ruined, just like that. None of the pets saw this coming in the slightest. They jumped back upon catching sight of the tainted meat laying right on the grill.

The pets were all aghast, yet revolted at the same time. Cliff was at the point of gagging once again like he did earlier with the sight of cheese.

"Aw c'mon!" Charles angrily spat.

Walt looked up to the bird responsible in the sky. He was to the point of seething rage. "Seriously? Of all the dang places where you could do your business, it had to be on our food?!" He returned back to the pets. "The utter nerve of some of my kind!"

Fret filled the hamster as his stomach rumbled. "What are we gonna do now? We can't eat this!"

Cliff comforted Geo. "Don'tcha fret there Ham." he calmly said. "We still got eight more ta grill!"

"But first, we gotta clean off this grill here." Charles suggested. "Cause that bird sure left quite a mess."

"Bleh!" Walt and Geo simultaneously said.

Five Minutes Later

It was time for the pets to try again. They were hoping that an incident like that would never happen again. Who knows? Life is indeed an unpredictable matter after all. This time, the animals were on the lookout. Cliff guarded the patties as the dog, the bird and the hamster watched their surroundings from their unique perspective views.

So far, everything went according to plan. The patties were halfway finished with the cooking.

"Nothin' suspicious goin' on so far, cat!" Charles said.

"All clear on my end!" Geo said.

"Same here." Walt added.

Cliff prepared himself to flip the patties over to cook the other side now. Their stomachs were growling like crazy. They really couldn't wait another second for the patties on the grill to finish. Fortunately for them, if nothing went wrong in approximately the next ten minutes or so, they could finally chow down on some of that grub.

The satisfied feline spent a second sniffing the aroma of the sizzling meat. "Delish!" he uttered as he flipped the patties over. "I'll just flip ya guys over fer a few minutes."

As the three pets continued their lookout for any potential incidents to stop, a feisty little squirrel was up for some old fashioned fun. It approached from behind an unsuspecting Charles and hopped on his back. In a surprising twist of events, the animal kicked the canine in the neck like a spur impaling a majestic stallion in the old west.

The sudden pain omitted a reaction from Charles as he howled and wailed his paws in circles before he ran off without a hitch. Walt and Geo quickly took notice due to their sudden disturbance. The poor canine was being treated like a riding horse now. The squirrel pulled on his ears as it would guide the barking canine to turn left and right.

The bird and the hamster didn't know what to do. They can only watch in horror as to where this would all lead up to. "Oh no!" Geo exclaimed.

"C'mon, dog!" Walt yelled out. "Fight back! You can do it!"

Charles did not take long to take Walt's suggestion into consideration. He did all that he can to shake the immature animal off his back. But he underestimated the mangy little squirrel. It was putting up such a good fight. He growled louder and louder the more he tried to shake the savage animal off of him as he spun around. To no avail, he was too good for him. It's almost like the animal was a well trained cowboy.

The dog unfortunately went head first into a tree with a normal impact. Walt and Geo cringed. They felt bad for the canine that had to deal with an animal that persistent. That spinning Charles did really led up to this mishap. His irises spiraled out, making him appear dizzy. The squirrel continued yanking on his ears as it would provoke the dog to wail his paws and howl as if he was a horse before he could barely run in a straight line.

Charles headed straight for the grill. The bird and the hamster gasped upon noticing the dog running straight towards them. They had to act fast. There was definitely no time to waste.

"Cat!" Geo exclaimed, catching Cliff's attention for a brief moment. "Watch out!"

The cat's eyes widened. He didn't have much time to put a stop to the squirrel's joyride on the dog. He put a angry, but determined expression on his face as if he wanted to act heroic. He jumped out in front of the grill a couple of feet in hopes to prevent the two animals from knocking it over.

He widened his paws out to his side like a willing sacrifice for another citizen. "Bird, Ham! Guard the-"

The cat was unfortunately cut off by Charles slamming right into him as they rolled towards the grill. Their sudden impact unfortunately managed to tip the grill right to its side. The patties hit the grass below before it was covered with charcoal on top.

There goes another third of patties, sadly gone to waste.

Charles and Cliff were dizzy after they stopped rolling around. A second or two passed by before they shook their heads. The relentless squirrel popped up from between the two animals, laughing before blowing a raspberry at the dog. It unfortunately zipped away before an irate Charles could grab the animal.

He growled. He was furious. "Confound it, squirrel!" He uttered as he made a fist. Cliff felt that he was kind enough to pet him to try to calm the canine down.

"I can't believe that just happened!" Geo said.

"Just great!" Walt exclaimed. "Another batch of perfectly good meat, gone down the drain."

"That means we're down ta our last four!" Cliff fretted.

"And if anythin' happens ta those last four patties, I'll have that darn squirrel fer lunch!" Charles angrily stated.

The pets' stomachs growled even more. It felt like absolute torture to them at this point. With two thirds of their patties down the drain, they were unsure if they were going to get their hunger problem conquered for the day. Could it be that they had some bad luck? Maybe it could have been their bad timing?

Whatever the case may be, they couldn't stop there. They still had one more batch of patties left to try and grill. All they had to do was hope that nothing could go wrong for the third time. Who knows? Maybe their luck could become a real game changer for the four animals involved.

Another Five Minutes Later

The grill was up and running again. Cliff flipped over the last patty on the grill. They were steaming hot to the point that it was just about ready. All that's left now was another few minutes of mishap-free incidents and the pets would feel like they finally reached the finish line.

The dark clouds in the sky came rolling in without the pets noticing. It looked like it was on the verge of pouring down all that moisture. It was at that moment that the pets do have something to worry about. Knowing the pets sometimes, they still have yet to pay their undivided attention to the problems around them.

Charles smiled at the well cooked patties. "Alrighty boys," the dog said with determination. "One more minute ta meat town!"

"Purrfect!" Cliff reacted.

"Hooray!" Geo reacted.

"It's about time." Walt bluntly stated before he looked up at the sky. The dark clouds were rolling in like there was no such thing as a tomorrow. The bird gasped. What if it was about to pour down rain? He had to hurry his tailfeathers to notify the other pets.

"Guys!" he said, grabbing their attention before they realized the sky wasn't clear. "It's about to rain!"

Cliff gasped before he facepalmed. "Oh, ya gotta be kiddin' me!" he reacted.

"What do we do, you guys?" Geo asked with concern. Charles was quick with idea he had in store. He zipped inside before he returned with an umbrella.

"Not ta worry, pals," Charles said. "This oughta do the trick."

"Uh... who's umbrella is that?" Walt asked.

"No time, bird!" Charles interrupted. He attached the umbrella to the grill as it would sit bolt upright. With that, Charles' little plan was in the works. Cliff, Geo and Walt weren't a hundred percent sure if this was going to work. As long as it would get them something to eat, they wouldn't complain about a single thing.

"You sure this'll work?" Cliff asked.

Charles' stomach growled once again. He was real determined. Hungry, but determined enough that his plan would not soon fall apart in front of his canine eyes. "It's worth a shot, cat." he answered. A second later, a drip came in contact with the dog's nose.

It was about to begin.

Rain inevitably came pouring down all over the neighborhood. Ten seconds in surprisingly, nothing went wrong so far. The umbrella protected their last batch of patties from coming contact with the rain. Charles had a feeling that his plan was working.

It was.

The three pets smiled along at the dog. They were convinced that his plan was indeed a good one. They felt the urge to applaud the canine, to which they did.

Charles was happy for the reception the others gave him and stood on his hind legs to bow. "Thank y'all so much!" he said. "Told y'all this would be worth the-"

When the pets least expected it, the dog was interrupted by a loud thunderbolt coming from behind. It hit the umbrella, causing the grill to get shocked along with it. The pets were in danger. They had to bolt as quickly as they could before it inevitably blew up into smithereens.

 _*KABOOM*_

And just like that, their luck never changed for the better. That was it. Their last batch of patties gone, never to be seen again. The pets were sad now. They had no other choice left but to throw in the towel at this point. They all looked down at their stomachs as they rumbled yet again.

"Rats!" Charles uttered.

* * *

The pets reentered the kitchen through the doggy door, their fur being wet all over. They were all understandably upset with everything that had happened.

"Welp, that's it ya guys." Cliff said. "Looks like we're all gonna starve."

"Well isn't that wonderful?" Walt snarked.

"I can't take this much longer!" Geo worried.

"Same here, Ham." Charles replied. "Same here."

Stomachs rumbled once again. It all went downhill from there. The pets' hunger was so bad that it would soon reach to the point where they started to hallucinate. Each and every second, everything they saw with their own point of views was food the animals could sink their teeth into. They started salivating.

"Mmm..." Charles uttered as he stared at the table legs. He thought that they looked like a couple strips of bacon. "Come ta papa!"

The dog zipped over to the table before he sank his teeth into the table legs. Cliff stared at the table sheets as if they were salmon. He licked his lips before he approached it as quick as lightning.

The cat began nibbling on one side of the sheet as he wagged his tail much like a hyperactive puppy. The taste of it was wonderful to him in his own state of mind. Walt and Geo would soon inevitably get in on the madness as well. The bird flew over to one of Charles' ears and nibbled on it with good force.

Geo rolled over to Cliff's long tail and grabbed a hold of the tip. He quickly bit down on it without a care in the world. In his mind, Cliff tail had the taste of a slightly under cooked hot dog. He assumed it was very delicious. Their food hallucination lasted on for at least a full minute before a voice reached out to all of them. They all stopped to pay their attention to somebody at the kitchen doorway.

It was the mother of the house. Rita Loud. She was holding a couple bags filled with food. "What are you pets doing?! Unhand that table right this instant!"

Charles obeyed the woman as he stepped back. He whined as if he wanted to apologize for what had happened. Cliff did the exact same a second after.

"Now I came back to get you guys something to eat," she said, much to the pets' sudden dumbfounded expression. "Since the kids told me that they all forgot to feed you. Plus, I have to run back to the store because I forgot to pick up some pet food. Don't ask how."

Rita took out a couple to go boxes from the bags she brought home. She simply placed them down in front of the pets before she left them be. "Enjoy."

Charles approached the boxes before he decided to sniff at them. A second later, he opened up the boxes. The pets were surprised with what was inside.

Grilled salmon and well done steak.

The pets were happy. Finally they got something to satisfy their needs once and for all.

"Happy days!" Cliff said.

"Finally, something to eat!" Walt said.

"Thank goodness, that lady's such a lifesaver!" Geo happily said.

Charles frantically wagged his tail and licked his lips one last time. "Well what are we waitin' for, pals?" he said. "Chow down!"

They all dug in the steak and the salmon like no tomorrow. Finally, their hunger problem was solved. The pets had absolutely nothing to worry about now, except for one little thing.

Rita came back into the kitchen to ask the pets a question. "Have any of you pets seen my umbrella?"

The pets looked at the woman dead in her eyes as theirs widened up, before they looked to the reader, slowly gulping down their food.

* * *

~End~


	19. Hugh & Me

_Story 18: Hugh & Me_

 **A/N: I think this one's pretty much filler.**

* * *

12:30 pm

It's a typical Saturday afternoon down in the neighborhood of Royal Woods. As always, the skies were the magnificent color of cyan without a single cloud for the day. Another day where the family isn't present inside or anywhere near the household as they're all out to go somewhere. The middle child of the family however, isn't with them. He was determined to make a simple plan of his go to work.

He walked around the living room as he waited for a knock on the door for minutes for Hugh, the stud muffin that had most of the family gang up on two years prior. With his sisters out of the way, thing could possibly be a little different. It was going to be just the two men as they'll soon work together to improve the boy's academic performance. Last time Lincoln remembered, he was sitting at a D minus at one of his school subjects, especially mathematics.

Who could blame him, really? His math teacher stole all the boys' attention in the classroom. She was a beautiful distraction to them in more ways than one. How none of the kids managed to never take their eyes off the woman could be anybody's guess. Lincoln had to make sure nothing would ruin his only opportunity of improving his grade in the subject. He didn't want to fail the class, especially at the end of the semester.

A few seconds of walking around later, it was showtime.

 ***KNOCK***

"Finally, that must be him!" Lincoln said as he walked to the door to answer. He opened the door as politely as he could, seeing the face he hasn't seen in more than two years. Hugh looked nervous, but he was grateful to see the boy again after a while.

He smiled at the kid. "Hey there, Lincoln." Hugh said. "Haven't seen you in a while."

"Same here," Lincoln replied. "Why don't you come in and we can get started on tutoring? I promise you this time, you won't find any girls here for about maybe two to three hours. They out to see some girly movie that I didn't want to see."

Hugh sighed out of relief. "Thank goodness," he said. "You make such a good plan. Getting clobbered by a bunch of siblings totally wasn't a pretty sight the last time I was here."

"Tell me about it." Lincoln said. "Anyway, I assure you this one's going to be completely different from last time."

"Gosh, I sure hope so, mate." Hugh nervously answered.

* * *

One Hour Later

The two men sat in the living room on the family couch together. There was pencil and paper sitting right on the table in front of them as the boy's tutor continued on with another math problem for Lincoln to answer straight from the book. "Next, for this simple long division problem without using a calculator, How many times can twelve go into the number eight hundred and twenty eight?" Hugh said.

Lincoln broke a little sweat. He had a feeling this one would be a real toughie. "Oh man." he muttered before he picked up the pencil from the desk. He wrote the problem out on a piece of paper next to it. In no time, the equation was setup and ready to go.

"Let's see," Lincoln uttered as he continued to write. "Divide that first digit..."

Meanwhile, as the boy completely forgot about the pets, Charles the dog emerged from the open doorway from the dining room. The first thing he spotted upon peeking in the living room was the young man he once saw. It was unexpected, even for him. He was truly fixated. His crush filter quickly switched over to the on position. His ears rose up as his irises turned into red pulsing hearts of love at first sight before he frantically wagged his tail.

"Jumpin' junebugs!" he uttered as he hid back behind the wall. "What's he doin' back here?"

The dog panted. He was just as ecstatic as he was in love with a man.

"Oh boy," Charles said. "Ever since that encounter wit' him a few years back thanks ta love gettin' the better of this family, we scared him off!" He scratched his head for a brief moment. He tried to think of something that wouldn't remind Hugh about his last visit to the house. "What am I gonna do?"

The canine continued to brainstorm for a little while. A couple seconds in, he hatched an idea. "Aha! I've got it!" he exclaimed. It was time for the white canine to win his way to a young man's heart. He wasted no time licking his paw before he stoked his head back as if he was trying to impress another dog breed. In this case, he was, but with an adult human being instead.

Charles equipped a crimson red bow tie to his neck before he turned to the reader. "Whattaya think?" he asked. A second passed before it hit him in the head. "Ah, right. Ya can't tell cause it's words yer lookin' at. But hey, ain't nothin' stoppin' ya from paintin' pictures in yer head or somethin' like that."

The dog finished his sentence with a happy smile. He prepared himself to barge into the living room with a determined expression painted on his canine face. "Wish me luck you, I'm goin' in!"

Charles walked straight into the living room. All the white canine can hope for at this point was for Hugh to not freak out at the sight of his sudden appearance. He was a couple feet away from the man in question now. It was time to make his first impression.

Lincoln finally completed the long division problem. To him, in his mind, it turned out to be cakewalk. "There we go. The answer is-"

Charles' barking caught the kid off of his guard. He turned to see the family dog placing his furry paws on Hugh's leg as he panted and wagged his tail as if he wanted him to play with the little animal. The man was confused, but he felt a little paranoid on the inside.

"Uh..." Hugh uttered.

"Dang it," Lincoln said as he dropped his pencil. "I completely forgot about the pets!"

Charles hopped up on the man's legs as he gave the man a good lick on his face cheeks. Hugh yelped and complained as if he was a genuine neat freak. "Down boy! Heel!" he said as he extend his arms out.

Lincoln grabbed the love-infested dog. "Get off of him, Charles." the kid said as he pulled him away from the young man. "We're not going to go through the same thing again!"

The middle child of the family walked to the kitchen as Hugh took a look at Lincoln's work. He was doing good. It left a little impression on him. "He's right." he said.

Cliff the cat descended down the stairs as he was looking for a quick bite to snack on. Walt the bird followed the hungry feline from behind.

"Was it really worth unraveling three rolls of toilet paper just for your own amusement?" Walt asked.

Cliff smirked. "Of course bird," the cat responded. "Despite bein' less interestin' than scratchin' posts, I'd say it's anudder way of passin' time fer me."

The two animals were finally on the first floor. "Now, I've got a taste fer-"

Before the cat could utter another word, he got a sight full of Hugh as he sat there writing on some sheets of paper. It was an unexpected surprise to him. He never thought he would see his face appear in the house again. His eyes were soon taken over by red hearts as he stared on with a smile.

"Him..." Cliff concluded. He was too attached to him to even move a muscle from this point.

"Uh... what are you talking about?" Walt said before he glanced over to the man in question. He slowly gasped in exhilaration before the same thing inevitably happened to the bird in almost no time at all. "Oh... my..."

It was like love at first sight all over again. Through the minds of the bird and the cat, the adoring sight of the young man made the two melt inside. They zipped over to the man as they showered him with their affection. Walt landed on the man's shoulders as he nuzzled his head against his cheeks. The bird almost blushed after doing that cute action of his, despite being quite bitter towards most of if not everyone around him.

Cliff purred at the young man's legs as he grabbed ahold of his right. Red hearts floated around the devoted feline as the same effect took place for the yellow bird. It was like a relationship bond that has yet to turn awry.

Hugh felt uncomfortable for a second. His experience with the Loud family two years ago was an unsettling experience in his mind. He was the casanova in the eyes of nine of Lincoln's siblings, three pets and his father. It was like reliving that same traumatizing experience all over again.

The man started to sweat now. What if pets manage to provoke that same experience he had again? This time, he had to power through, no matter what. It's his job to make sure Lincoln does well in his math class. At least this time, the house was free of the boy's ten siblings as well as the parents of the household. He would soon think that the animals wouldn't be much of a bother.

The purring and the nuzzling session continued for at least some seconds before Lincoln returned back into the room. He wasn't surprised in the slight the moment he spotted Cliff and Walt showing off their devotion towards his tutor.

The boy facepalmed. "You've got to be kidding me." he spat as he approached the pets. He grabbed ahold of the feline as he attempted to pull him off of Hugh's leg. "Cliff, get off!"

The cat was vexed now. He hissed at the child before he decided to viciously attack him for restraining him from the man. A cloud of violence erupted not long after much to Hugh's surprised reaction. Yelps of pain galore from the eleven year old boy for a short time before the cloud of violence cleared up. The aftermath revealed that Lincoln was covered in several scratches. They were so bad that it even shows right through his shirt. Cliff growled at him before he returned to Hugh as he purred against him once more.

The young man felt bad for Lincoln. He was just a boy willing to take this opportunity as seriously as he could so he could make sure that he wouldn't fail his math class. He didn't know what to do.

Lincoln was determined. He wasn't going to let his own animals ruin the only opportunity he has to try and improve his academic performance for the end of his semester.

"That's it!" he yelled.

* * *

Few Minutes Later

Lincoln brought the feline and the bird out in the back porch of the house. Unbeknownst to the kid, Charles casually walked right back in the house to make off with the man inside. He explained to the animals why he did what he had to do despite the two animals being cross with him.

"I don't have time for you guys to distract us." Lincoln said. "This is an opportunity to improve my D minus in school and I refuse to let you guys shatter it for me!"

Walt glared at the boy while Cliff hissed once more. As much as Lincoln didn't want to put the animals in a situation they would rather not be in, the boy had to be strong and strict.

"Will you guys knock it off?" he angrily uttered. "Once this is over, you can bother me all you want." He took a few steps back into the house. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have some math problems to solve."

The boy closed the door.

Understandably, the cat and the bird were mad at him. Cliff crossed his arms as he flopped his ears down to show he's upset. "Nobody tells me ta knock it off." he angrily spat.

"Same here!" Walt added. "How dare he have the guts to even say that?"

"And besides, the man seemed pretty okay wit' us snugglin' wit' him," Cliff said. "So I really don't see why the kid's gotta make such a big deal outta this."

Walt nodded in agreement. "I know right?" the bird uttered. "It's not like we're attacking him or tearing him apart or anything, it's more like having him feel comfortable around the house... at least for me it is."

Cliff perked his ears up. "Ya know what bird? Yer gosh darn right." he said with a smile on his feline face. "Didn't ya see me purrin' at his legs? He seemed ta be into that."

Walt's irate expression shifted towards the cat. Hearts floated around his head as he laid into the feline. "Yeah right! That man loved it when I snuggled against his face."

Cliff grew just as irate towards Walt. He acted like he was jealous as hearts soon floated above the cat. "Are ya blind, bird?" he said. "Ya make the man nervous by doin' that."

"Well, you make him cringe whenever you're around his legs!" Walt spat.

Cliff growled. "Ya better watch it bird before the next thing I'm gonna hunt fer is bird meat!"

Walt glared even more at Cliff. "No, you better watch it before that head of yours gets painted white!" He pecked the feline a couple of times as he meowed in pain. He flew off before Cliff could even lay a claw on him.

Cliff angrily made a fist as he yelled right at the bird. "Why I oughta..." he spat. He sighed soon after. One day, he'd be willing to show Walt that he wasn't a cat to mess with at times like this.

His attention shifted to the unlocked doggy door. He knew that Lincoln wouldn't be that resilient to keep the animal out. He was determined to woo the young man, no matter who was in his way. He deviously smiled before he casually walked through the doggy door.

Cliff smirked. "I'll show him!" he said. "In the name of love, nothin's gonna stop me from winnin' somebody's heart!"

* * *

"The answer is eighty five with a remainder of two!" Lincoln said.

"That's correct," Hugh said. "And you've completed it in under half a minute!"

Lincoln smirked. "Guess you could say that I'm a pretty fast learner."

"Agreed." Hugh said. "You might be ready for that test this coming Monday afternoon, mate!"

After writing down more problems on his sheet of paper, Lincoln felt a sudden sensation in his bladder now. He needed to use the bathroom. "Uh, Hugh. If you don't mind... I need to go pee." the boy stated. "I should be back in five." He bolted up the flight of stairs as if he was trying to be the first in line for a big sale at a mall.

"Alright, mate," Hugh said in response. "Take as much time as you need."

Charles emerged from the dining room doorway once again. He thought about his next approach since his first one was interrupted by the eleven year old middle child.

"Ok, kissin' his face didn't seem ta work." Charles uttered as he scratched his canine head. "How am I gonna execute my next approach..." He scratched his chin now. "Hmm... I could try somethin' wit' peanut butter but everybody knows I'll lick it all up anywhere it's at so... that's outta the question." As he continued to brainstorm about his move, he got a little surprise that he didn't see coming.

"Watch out, ya mutt!" Cliff spat. The speeding black feline unintentionally got the poor pup to spin several times as he zipped over to Hugh, standing right in front of him. The cat's sudden appearance caught the man off guard once again. He looked on as he was curious as to what he was going to do.

Was Cliff going to purr at his feet again? What if he decided to hop up on his legs to sleep some of the day away? Unlike most cats, Cliff did something completely unorthodox that no other ordinary cat has been seen doing.

The feline walked up to the man before he placed a paw on his right hand. Hugh was confused as to what was happening. But as he would remind himself to continue helping the boy, even if it means he had to unwillingly get seduced by three animals living in the Loud household.

Cliff sighed. "Je t'aime," he uttered. It had Charles in shock as he looked on in jealousy. Hugh was confused. Even if he couldn't understand what Cliff was saying, he felt understandably uncomfortable. "Now, ya set my heart on fire."

The dog was surprised that the cat did have a couple of tricks up his sleeve. It had him devoiusly glaring. He wasn't going to let a simple monologue from Cliff steal the man's heart. It was time to get serious.

Charles dove behind the couch with great stealth. He continued to glare right at the cat as he continued his speech. Walt joined the rest of the pets downstairs. He spotted the feline making his move towards Hugh. It made him feel even more angrier than before.

Cliff's nose nuzzled against the man's hand. "It's not... just a simple lil' spark I'm feelin' inside... It's a flame."

He blushed. "A big, roarin' flame!"

Jealousy filled the dog and the bird. While Cliff was completely lost in devotion, Charles grabbed a fire poker laying next to the chimney and lifted his tail up a couple of inches. Walt took notice of the dog's devilish action as it would soon put a smile on his face.

"I can feel it now." Cliff said. The moment those words read the cat's lips, Charles set his tail down inches away from the fire in the fireplace. He silently snickered as he set the poker down.

"Burnin'... _burnin'!_ " Cliff uttered. Before the cat could continue his monologue, he caught a whiff of something up in the air. He turned to the reader with his paws on his hips. "Hey, somethin' is burnin' around here!"

He spent a good second looking around for the source before it came to the conclusion that his tail was suddenly on fire. His eyes bulged out as he finally noticed.

"MEOWWWW!" he yelled in pain as he jumped a couple feet in the air. He wasted no time as he zipped to the kitchen. It looked like it was Charles' turn to make a move.

The dog zipped in front of Hugh now. He juggled three apples with a smile in hopes to impress the young man. Hugh thought he was dreaming now. Last time he remembered, dogs couldn't handle such a human ability.

"Am I dreaming, or have I finally seen everything?" he thought to himself. Honestly, he was a bit impressed to say the least. Geo emerged from the upstairs hallway with a stern expression. He grew a bit curious to what the commotion was about downstairs as that interrupted him listening to his favorite band. It seemed a little interesting in the mind of a small hamster. With nothing better to do for the day besides listening to music, he sat there and enjoyed the show.

Walt was not having it. "Pssh. That's nowhere near impressive." he said to himself. "Just wait until he hears my angelic voice!" He flew right to the table in front of Hugh. He cleared his throat first before he blew the man away with his elaborate singing. He was hitting those notes really good. It was like he practiced for years for this moment, and now was the time for the bird. Hugh continued to look on in confusion and amazement.

Charles stopped juggling the apples before he subtly growled towards the vocalizing bird. "Not on my watch, bird!" he angrily spat before he willingly flicked the bird out of the way. The love stricken pup stood on his hind legs and showcased some of his moves.

Not long after Cliff used a cane to drag the dog away before the feline stepped into the man't point of view with a ukulele. He strummed the instrument without a care in the world. He lasted for a brief period of time before his session was interrupted by a bark and a tackle from Charles. His force was enough to knock the small instrument out of the feline's paws.

Geo gasped.

The dog popped up and howled as if he was trying to sing better than Walt. As expected, the bird wasn't even close to being happy. Charles' singing sounded like a complete insult to him to the point he flew over his head.

Charles' 'singing' continued for a good second or two until he got hit in the head with some bird waste. The sound of the impact got the dog to put a stop to his howling. He looked up as he spotted Walt giving him a glare before he did the same to the bird. The dog walked into the kitchen to wash off with a low growl.

Walt landed on the table again as he continued his singing where he left off. He was a small but determined bird to make a good impression towards the young man. Cliff rose up from behind with a low growl before he grabbed the unsuspecting bird off the table. Immediately, out of the deep blue, he placed Walt inside his mouth as if it looked like the cat ate him, much to the Hugh's unexpected shock.

Geo screamed. He was concerned now. The hamster broke a sweat as he feared that this was turning into a fight over a young man. He had to think of something. In his mind, several years of bonding were in grave danger at this point. He had no time to waste as he poked at his cranium.

Hugh was still feeling uncomfortable from what he had to witness. Having to watch Cliff devour Walt was a little unsettling for him. It had him vigorously shaking for a couple of seconds before he realized that he wasn't actually shaking by himself. He looked down before his eyes widened at the sight of Charles hugging his leg. "Ay, get off!" he exclaimed before he attempted to shake him off.

Walt pecked the inside of Cliff's mouth in hopes to get him to spit him out, to which he did in almost an instant followed by a painful meow afterwards. The bird was drenched in the cat's saliva now. He was utterly aghast, not to mention growing much more infuriated at the cat.

"Ugh! How dare you!" Walt angrily spat before he attempted to shake off the excess of saliva.

"Ya had it comin' bird!" Cliff retaliated as he picked the bird up. He pointed at him, even extending one of his claws to show how serious he meant. "Yer lucky I didn't choose ta swallow ya whole!"

Not long after, Walt was chucked towards a fond Charles as his beak poked him right in his rump. The sudden pain had the dog howling for a second before he turned to growl at Cliff. "Why I oughta..." he uttered as he walked towards the angry feline with Walt still stuck to his butt. He jumped at him, but not before yelling out a couple more words in the process. "C'mere!"

A big ball of violence finally erupted, barks and meows galore. Hugh gasped. "Oh my goodness," he reacted as he continued to stare at the arguing pets. "There's no need for all this nonsense..."

A ring from the young man's cell phone omitted as it influenced the three animals to stop their violence. Hugh answered it not long after. "Hello?" he said. He listened to some chattering from his phone regarding the school he worked at for a few seconds before he responded back. The three pets stared on at the young man as if they had no idea what was even going on.

"You need me right now?" he asked. More chatter ensued not long after. He slightly tilted his head down before letting out a small sigh. "Alright then, I'll be on my way back in a few."

Charles, Cliff and Walt gasped. That moment made them realize that Hugh was getting ready to leave. They had no idea what to do now. They saw him write something on a piece of paper hopefully for Lincoln to see when he returns before he got up from the couch and made his way outside through the front door. He left without even saying a word. He closed the door before the dog, the cat and the bird sat a few inches in front of it.

A couple seconds of dead silence in, the three pets were angry with each other. All of their senseless fighting over a human being managed to cause a lot of disharmony between the three animals.

"Well isn't that nice?" Walt spat.

"I can't believe he left..." Cliff uttered as he tilted his head down.

"I can't believe you guys." Charles said.

Cliff angrily scoffed. "What? Yer tryin' to pin the blame on us now?"

Charles answered with a mean growl. "That's exactly what I'm sayin'!"

"How is it our fault that the man had to clock out early?!" Walt questioned.

Geo rolled up to them from behind. He had a little confession to spill in front of the animals. "That's because it's my fault..."

Charles, Cliff, and Walt gasped in shock. They turned around to see a disappointed Geo tapping his little foot. "You?!" The three spoke in harmony.

The hamster wasn't afraid to admit his actions. "That's affirmative." he said. "I was the one who set up the call to get that man out of this house."

There it was. The truth had been revealed right there. The three pets were vexed towards the hamster now. Of all the animals in the world, they couldn't believe the hamster was the complete mastermind behind the plan.

Charles growled. "Ham, how could ya do this ta me?!" he spat.

"Why would ya do that?!" Cliff added.

"What the everloving heck is your problem?" Walt questioned.

Geo was more than happy to spill his reasoning for what he had to do. "Look you guys, I'm sorry okay-"

Cliff inched toward the hamster with a mean glare in his eyes along with Walt. "Ya ain't nowhere near as sorry as ya are for runnin' that sweet adonis outta this house."

"Yer gonna pay fer that, Ham." Charles uttered before he popped his knuckles.

Geo backed away slowly. "Guys, simmer down! I was only thinking about our friendships we had over the years and I'm not gonna let that man cause a rift between us as friends." The pets stopped their angered expressions as Geo had no choice but to be blunt towards them. It was for the better for all the parties involved. "You guys should be ashamed of yourself, letting your lovesick mind take over your actions when our friendship means so much more than fighting over a human being."

Charles, Cliff and Walt took a second to think before they sadly threw their heads down. They couldn't believe that it all had to escalate to this, their affectionate behavior leading to senseless brawling and hate.

Charles whined for a bit before he spoke to the hamster. "Ham, yer right. Yer absolutely right."

"I can't believe ourselves." Cliff sadly added.

"Yeah." Walt softly stated.

A small bit of lamenting later, Charles lightened up. "I guess it's true what they say... love makes ya do crazy things."

"Admittedly, it also makes us look dumb." Cliff shamefully added.

Geo winked. "Exactly."

The pets eventually decided to share a hug. They realized that fighting isn't really worth the bonds they've shared ever since they were part of the family.

"I'm sorry you guys." Geo said.

"We're sorry too, Ham." Charles answered back.

Whistling ensued from the eleven year old boy of the house as he descended back downstairs to continue his tutoring. He was surprised when all that was present in the room was just the four pets and some scattered paper over the floor, some of them possibly heavily ripped. Lincoln glared over to Charles, Cliff, Geo and Walt now. He figured he had something to do with Hugh suddenly leaving him be without any warning whatsoever.

"What did you guys do?!" the boy questioned. "I thought I told you guys to stay out!"

Charles and Cliff pushed Geo's ball towards the pre-teen before they zipped back out the doggy door in the kitchen. Geo's eyes widened upon looking at the boy's disappointed expression. He tapped his hands together as he had no idea what to do now except give the boy an awkward little smile.

* * *

 **~End~**


	20. A Boy And His Dog

_Story 19: A Boy and his Dog_

~suggested by BluePrintMan~

* * *

1:30 pm

It was yet another peaceful Saturday evening down in the wonderful neighborhood of Royal Woods. The skies were somewhat cluttered with a tiny chance of rain, the leaves were softly blown across the fields of the grass and the streets. It was another quiet day indeed. Once again, Vanzilla was nowhere to be found in the driveway. Could the kids be out and about doing another family activity? Who knows when they could return. It's only a matter of time.

Charles emerged from the doggy door leading into the kitchen as he held a leash in his mouth. He glanced towards the audience. "Hey you!" he said. "Are ya ready fer somethin' a lil' different?"

A pause took place before he continued to speak. "Great," Charles said with a little wink. "Today's story's gonna be a short one. Not only that, it's exactly what it says right there up on the top o' the page. Since I wouldn't wanna bore ya with the lengthy details, I'm gonna cut to the chase here."

The dog continued to walk straight ahead as he led himself into the dining room. "I love my boy deep down as well as the rest a' this family. What with all the bondin' we share from going out on a walk, ta chowin' down on somethin' ta snack on, it's ev'ry dog's dream."

Charles took a peek inside the living room. Lincoln was laying right there in the living room. He was currently busy with his somewhat annoying habit of reading comic books while he wore nothing but his tighty whities.

"Come on, Ace Savvy!" the boy said. "Pin him down! Show that menace who's the boss!"

The white canine closed his eyes and shook his head. "Although, I'm really not into that habit he possesses, me 'n him love ta do a lotta stuff together!" His stomach growled before the dog looked down. "And speakin' of chowin' down, I sure am hungry... 'n that's another habit 'o mine I love. A dog's gotta eat after all!"

The new edition of the Ace Savvy comic left a stamp of satisfaction in Lincoln's mind. It might've been the best one he's laid his eyes upon yet. "That was amazing!" Lincoln said. "Totally worth the five dollars and seventy three cents! And now-"

Lincoln was interrupted by two barks from Charles as he brought his doggy bowl to the kid. The dog was hungry, and Lincoln knew exactly how to rectify the canine's request. "Oh, hey Charles!" the boy greeted. "You must be hungry!"

The dog rolled his eyes as if that sounded much like an understatement, to which it was in this case. He grabbed the canine's bowl and made his approach in the kitchen. Charles wasted not even a second as he followed the kid to the same destination.

* * *

The two were inside the kitchen interior now. Lincoln managed to feed the pets on a few occasions. He knew exactly what to do. The only problem being a bit too short to reach the pantry a couple feet higher than the boy, which is exactly where the pet food was currently stored at.

The boy promptly sighed with a little bit of irritation to add. Charles simply sat down and looked at the boy do his work as he grabbed a hold of the chair.

"Alright now," Lincoln uttered under his breath. He walked over to the pantry before he set the chair down. "One of these days I won't have to use one of these."

Charles wagged his tail. He simply panted as he had a feeling the kid wouldn't soon let him down. If there was anyone in the world the white pup could look up to, it's the boy, along with the dirty tomboy and the future rock star of the family. Lincoln was finally at the pantry. He gained a firm grasp of the knob before he casually opened it up.

There they were. Aside from the cat food and bird seed there was the one thing that would definitely satisfy and breed of dog out there in the world.

Puppo Snax.

"Here we go!" Lincoln uttered as he grabbed the container. It was then he hatched a realization that it was suddenly hollow. He tried to shake the container to find out if there was any left. Unsurprisingly, it didn't manage to omit a single sound.

It was empty.

Lincoln looked down at Charles with a desolate expression painted on his face. The white pup was confused now. "Aw, Charles," he said. "This container's completely depleted."

Charles let out a subtle burp.

Lincoln's eyelids came halfway shut in an instant. He had no choice but to come up with an alternative to feed the dog. He looked all around. There was bound to be something in the kitchen interior that he could feed to Charles.

His options were slim. He didn't know how to cook anything on his own. Not only that, there was a possibility that Lynn Sr.'s leftover lasagna might have went stale since it was cooked several days prior to now.

"Man, what am I gonna feed you?" Lincoln uttered as he softly caressed his chin. He was thinking for a good few seconds all the while Charles' stomach growled. The latter was growing a little impatient. Given that Charles is an animal, he's always hungry. Whether the pup just ate a half hour ago or not, it's one of those habits that a dog like him could possess.

A good second or two later, Lincoln finally came up with a minor suggestion. He confidently faced the dog and spat his offer. "How about some cookies?" Lincoln said, before he added to his sentence. "...with good amounts of sugar?"

Charles loved the sound of that offer loud and clear. He contentedly wagged his tail and gave the eleven year old boy two barks of approval. Lincoln knew what the dog's response was due to his pleased reaction. It was settled, just like that. Cookies it was. Alas, there was only one problem.

The cookie jar was resting on top of the pantry. Lincoln ultimately realized that using a single chair wouldn't be enough for the boy to reach the antique. He broke a single sweat right then and there. He had to do it, not only for himself, but for Charles as well.

"How am I gonna do this?" the boy thought to himself before he glanced over to the dog. Charles responded with a simple shrug. He may be smarter than an average dog, but so far, none of the family knew about their scary amount of aptitude. It's like a secret deep down he wanted to keep to himself and not show it off in front of the kid for now.

Lincoln was quick on his rump to realize the chair is a little shorter than the counter top. While he was still standing proud on the chair, he took a step up on the counter. He was a little high than before, but as he reached up, still no luck. He was still too short by at least two to three inches.

The boy groaned. He had to figure out another way. A couple of seconds in, it hit him in the back of the head. He had to be a little strategic to reach that little prize of his. He squinted his eyes as he stared on at the item in question.

Determination filled the middle child.

He jumped up as he obtained a firm grip on the top side of the pantry door. He held on for dear life as he extended his left arm out to grab the cookie jar. Charles was completely mesmerized. His attention was completely locked on the kid as if he were watching a very interesting spy movie for the absolute first time in his life. He grabbed a bucket of popcorn and stuck his drooling mouth into the container as he watched.

It was getting intense.

Lincoln grunted. He was almost to the cookie jar. He was only a couple inches away from finally achieving his goal. He reached and reached for seconds as he broke out another sweat or two. "Almost there..." he uttered. "Aaannnnd..."

He finally did it. He managed to get his palms on the antique. "Got it!" Lincoln confidently spat. When he least expected it, he yelped as he lost his grip on the pantry door as he fell down, only to be held dangling around by his underwear. His backside was completely exposed, right there in front of the innocent animal.

Charles eyes widened as he took notice of Lincoln's little predicament. He was distressed, along with the middle child.

"Big dang it!" Lincoln said in humiliation as his face cheeks started getting redder and redder. "Exactly like last time! I should've seen this coming."

Charles glanced over to the reader before he nodded his head.

Lincoln groaned. "At least it can't get any worse than this..." he uttered.

Charles thought to himself. "As if danglin' around in the nude ain't embarrassin' enough..."

The cookie jar was so close to the edge that it tipped over and fell straight to the ground. It shattered into several individual pieces as cookies scattered over the checkered floor as if it was a puzzle that takes several hours to complete.

Lincoln wasn't just in a embarrassing predicament anymore, he was at risk of getting hurt. The boy screamed as he observed the crashing antique scatter across the floor before Charles whined in great fear as he realized this. Usually, he would just go ahead and devour those cookies if he really wanted to. This time it was different.

Charles didn't care about getting a sweet bite to eat now, he was gravely concerned for the eleven year old boy. He had to figure out a way to save him before he would inevitably fall to his doom. He gulped as he looked around for something that might be of useful help in a situation like this.

"Charles, help!" the boy yelled before a small tear omitted. It came from Lincoln's underwear. Anxiety filled the human being and the animal now. Time was running out as we speak. Charles had his paws over his head. He whined louder than last time as he tried his best to come up with a plan. He had no time to waste as he took one second to get in a huge gulp before he sprung into action.

Lincoln covered his eyes as he lamented. He was completely vulnerable and defenseless. "How could this even happen? My sister's gonna see me dangling here hanging by my underwear and they'll laugh at me like tomorrow will never exist!"

The boy's underwear omitted another tear, it was halfway through rending the poor kid in the nude, right in front of his pet. The sound had the boy shaking. It was like a nightmare that was about to export into a huge reality, falling in shards of glass and being rendered naked.

Luckily for him, his left hand rubbed across a kitchen towel before he grabbed it without even having to hesitate. At least the eleven year old boy had something to cover up with once he's finally free from the pantry door.

"Well, at least there's that." Lincoln thought to himself as he opened his eyes. In his vision, it was exactly the same output from before even closed his eyes. The only difference was that he never remembered a broom suddenly being in the kitchen. A second passed by before Charles came back into the kitchen as fast as he could with a dust pan.

"Charles," Lincoln said, grabbing his attention. "What are you doing?! Help!"

Another tear came from Lincoln's underwear. He was about to fall in a couple of seconds if the pup didn't act fast. He continuously shifted his attention to the floor and dangling, technically naked Lincoln until one more audible tear from the boy's underwear ensued. There was only a few seconds left at best.

Charles had no choice. He was determined to help save the boy's life, but at the same time he was scared stiff. He ran to the side of the counter top as Lincoln's underwear finally tore through.

The boy was free, but he was inevitably falling now, screaming loudly as he descended to the floor below. Charles had to be brave. He backed up a couple inches before he lunged straight at the naked boy. He tackled him as he knocked his fall off-course away from the broken cookie jar before they both rolled into the fridge in front of them side to side.

Just like that, Lincoln's life was saved.

The boy and the dog's eyes spiraled out for a few seconds before they simultaneously collected themselves. "What the heck happened?" Lincoln said. His face got redder and redder as he realized he's completely nude. His eyes opened up wider than a novel book. He was clearly embarrassed as he attempted to cover up with the towel he had in his hand. "Oh man..."

At this point, Lincoln didn't know what to do now. A simple predicament left him in tatters as if his reputation and dignity was literally on the line. He looked down in shame as he sighed. "I guess I brought this one on myself... again." he said to himself as Charles paid the boy some attention. "Here I am, completely naked once again. And for what? I have no idea what the heck I've done in order to deserve this. All I did was try to get some cookies for Charles and this is what I get in return?"

Lincoln sighed as he threw his head down. He was ashamed that some simple actions landed him in this output.

The bright side was, at least the incident didn't take place outside. At least it wasn't in front of another human. It was only in front of his dog. Charles continued to stare at the face of the naked kid before he tsked under his breath. He smirked as he left him be for a couple of seconds to get the boy something.

Lincoln heard Vanzilla come up in the driveway. As if nudity in the house wasn't humiliating enough, his heart pounded when he realized he was about to be exposed in front of his sisters. "Dang it!" Lincoln spat. "Of all the times my sisters could come back to the house, it had to be now?!"

He had to think of something. It was his dignity that was at stake. "I have to hide!"

Before the boy could get his exposed rump off the floor, he was stopped by two barks. Lincoln gasped as he saw Charles coming back into the kitchen with a pair of pants and an orange shirt in his mouth. The sight of some clothes put a smile on Lincoln's face as the dog sat down inches away from the kid.

"Oh, thank you so much, Charles." Lincoln gracefully said to the dog as he petted him for a brief moment. "I don't know what I'd do without you, boy." Charles responded by giving the kid a wink and a smile before he grabbed a cookie from the floor. Lincoln equipped his clothes on as fast as he could, before the sound of the front door ensued seconds later.

Charles came back outside through the doggy door as he chewed his cookie before he took a glance at the reader. He gulped it down before he spoke. "Well kids, wasn't that fun?" the dog asked. "It would seem that the lesson here, is ta put some clothes on 'n keep 'em on at all times... or ya could end up in a predicament like that!" He eagerly chuckled. "Did ya get all that, cat?"

Cliff pushed a button on a camcorder as it stopped the recording. He deviously smiled at the white dog. "Every second of it, dog!" he snickered. "Now all we need is a computer!"

* * *

 **~End~**


	21. Fame & Watch

_Story 20: Fame and Watch_

* * *

10:45am

 _It's a somewhat windy day down in the nice, warm neighborhood of Royal Woods with absolutely no chance of any clouds storming in. It was only a humid day as Lincoln came outside with a camcorder and a couple of his Ace Savvy comics before he approached Charles' doghouse._

 _Charles heard the child approach him as he emerged from his doghouse to stare at the kid. Soon after, he sat still as he wagged his tail. Curiosity quickly overcame the animal as he wondered what the nine year old titular character was doing. Lincoln set a camcorder down on top of his few Ace Savvy comics before he switched the power on. A second passed before a small red light came flashing towards the baffled dog. He stared deep into the lens as Lincoln filmed each and every second of him._

 _"Look how big he is," Lincoln said. "C'mon Charles, why don't you do that trick for me?"_

 _The dog stood there as he ignored the boy's task. He tilted his head as if he didn't understand the kid. Lincoln grew a little impatient. He didn't have the time to constantly repeat himself to get Charles to do something for the camera._

 _Lana walked up to the two as she wondered what they were doing together. "Whatcha doin'?" she asked._

 _Lincoln sighed. "What does it look like I'm doing, Lana?" he bluntly answered. "I'm trying to get Charles to do that trick I taught him just a few days ago."_

 _"Like, that trick where ya get him to lick peanut butter off of anywhere you put it on?" she sincerely wondered._

 _"What? No, the new trick!" Lincoln corrected as Charles panted. "It took me hours just to get him to do it aside from pooping in the house and I want to make this a long lasting memory for Mom and Dad!"_

 _Lana lightened up. It seemed like a potential idea to her in the least. "Oh, okay then."_

 _Lincoln returned to videotaping a stationary Charles. The animal still wouldn't budge an inch from where he rested. To the nine year old child, either the dog was confused on what the kid was saying, or he was seriously that incompetent._

 _Lincoln was desperate. "Charles, please?" he kindly asked._

 _Curiosity filled the tomboy. "What do you think he's gonna do?" Lana asked._

 _"Trust me when I say, you've got to see it to believe it!" Lincoln confidently answered his younger sister. "C'mon Charles!"_

 _"You can do it!" Lana added._

 _The kids praised the dog on for a shot bit of time as Charles stared on in confusion. Some time soon after, the dog walked towards the boy before he stuck his nose directly on the camera lens as he frantically sniffed about. Lincoln was confused as to what the pup was doing as he made a daring attempt to scold him._

 _"No, Charles!" Lincoln exclaimed. "Stop doing that!"_

 _"You're gonna mess up the lens, boy!" Lana quickly added._

 _Charles inhaled deeply as he continued to gather in tons of fumes of the outside world. In his own little mind, he could be picking up something that may be more important than what the kids wanted him to do. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case at all. Charles just wanted to sniff the camera thanks to his curiosity._

 _Lincoln continued to tell him off. "Charles, stop!" he commanded before Charles finally managed to heed the boy's words. He backed off without having to hesitate. "Better!"_

 _The boy lightened up. "Mom and Dad, I think you're gonna love this!" he said as he smiled._

 _A second later, Charles was the one growing impatient. He gave off a irritated expression before he snatched the camcorder from the boy's hands with his mouth and ran about in the backyard as the camcorder still filmed every frame, much to Lincoln and Lana's unexpected shock._

 _Lincoln let out a yelp before he chased after the dog, worrying that he would damage it. "Charles, no!" he yelled. "Get back here!"_

 _"Charles, c'mere boy!" Lana added as he followed Lincoln soon after._

* * *

Geo and Walt were at the computer desk in the living room as they snickered and laughed at the video they observed.

"Dog's such a classic." Geo said.

"I'll say." Walt agreed. "As much as I really don't want to admit, he might have a short attention span but he sure knows how to provide some entertainment."

Without warning, Charles and Cliff came from behind as the latter held the camcorder. Curiosity filled them both as they observed their activity.

"Hey you!" Charles uttered as it grabbed the hamster and the bird's attention before the latter quickly pecked the power button as it shut the screen off. "Whatcha doin'?"

"Oh nothing," Geo said. "Just watching a little something."

"It ain't nothin' weird ain't it?" Cliff asked.

Walt rolled his eyes. "No. Whatever made you assume that?"

Cliff shrugged. "Oh I dunno, ya seemed ta turn the computer off the second we got here."

"Yer hidin' somethin' aren't cha?" Charles asked with a light scowl.

"We're not hiding anything!" Geo reacted.

Those four words influenced the dog to squint his eyes. He figured they might be up to something. "Den youse two step aside." he bitterly requested.

Without even having to hesitate for a second, Walt and Geo slowly gave the computer some distance. Charles hopped up on the chair that sat in front of the computer and flicked the computer screen back on. It flashed the same video that the hamster and the bird were watching a few seconds ago. He soon lightened up as he saw himself staring right into the camera. To him, it was like looking directly into a mirror.

"Wowzers," Charles reacted as the bird gave a confused look. "I think I remember this!"

"Who still says that?" Walt whispered.

"Lotsa people, bird." Cliff answered.

"This is the video where I snatched dat camera away from my boy, ain't it?" Charles asked. The video showed him doing just that a split second later. Clearly, he was inevitably correct. He smiled as he wagged his tail. "It is!"

Charles' curiosity ensued about another video stored onto the computer. He scanned around the screen as he attempted to look for it. "Ooh, what about dat prank I took part in?" the dog said. "It's gotta be somewhere in here."

Walt and Geo looked confused for a second. The dog managed to find the video clip, putting a smile on his face as he double-clicked on it. "Aha! Found it!"

 _Lana and Luan were just outside Lincoln's bedroom door as they discussed about a prank they just pulled on the middle child._

 _"You drenched Lincoln's underwear in bacon grease?" Lana asked with concern while Luan smiled and nodded. "That is so wrong. Funny, but wrong."_

 _"At least it'll teach him a lesson not to strip down to his underwear at night!" Luan laughed as Lana sighed. "To complete this little prank I have, all we need now is Charles!"_

 _A couple minutes later, Luan was at the boy's door as she prepared to open it while Lana grabbed hold of a panting Charles. The dog was smelling some bacon, he could barely wait to dig deep into that breakfast meat. His hopes skyrocketed as he happily wagged his tail and omitted some soft whines._

 _"Release the hound!" Luan whispered as she opened the door. Lana took her hands off of Charles on command as the animal came rushing in Lincoln's room. The boy didn't know it, but his butt was about to become Charles' next meal._

 ** _*CHOMP*_**

 _"Yaaaah!" Lincoln exclaimed in pain as he quickly exited his room with a small tear on the backside of his underwear. He was being chased down by the savage white dog. He still wasn't done with him in the slightest. Luan was too busy laughing her mind off from the prank she had to pull on her little brother. Lana smirked as she would soon be overcome with some snickers._

 _The video clip ended with Lincoln still being chased around by an enthusiastic Charles._

The dog smiled as he let out a little chuckle. "Ah, good times." Charles said. "Ain't dat right, cat?"

"Yep, I remember dat like it was a day ago." Cliff added. He let out a small gasp as that sentence of his reminded him of something. "Speakin' of a day ago, ya gotta check out somethin' I saw."

The cat jumped up on the chair next to Charles as he typed away on the keyboard. As usual, curiosity filled the rest of the pets, but not before sharing a glance towards each other.

"What is it, cat?" Charles asked.

"You'll see in a second dere, pal." Cliff answered with a smile. "It's called 'Slappy Cat' and I'm pretty sure it'll getcha laughin' for sure." He pulled up a site that contained several recent pet videos uploaded onto a site titled Mewtube. Not long after, he clicked on the one that he had on his feline mind. It was loading for a few seconds as Geo spotted something regarding the website.

"Mewtube?" Geo said. "Where have I heard that before?"

The video finally loaded up on the computer. The four pets sat back as they all observed a cat glaring menacingly at her ruthless owner.

 _She read the man's lips as her tranquil fury continued to build. The owner, Mr. Delite, had a thing or two to say about his troublesome pet._

 _"So, I've decided to get rid of this little beast that's been getting on my nerves for the past two months." the man said. "She's completely ungrateful, unremorseful, tearing up my entire household, she makes my life an eternal-"_

 _ ***SLAP***_

 _The cat hissed as she delivered her sense into the man in question. Mr. Delite was speechless. Getting slapped by his own pet would be the last thing he thought the feline would do. He let out a bloodcurdling scream as if this was some sort of nightmare._

The pets were trying their absolute best to hold in that laughter of theirs. After witnessing something this unexpected, they couldn't seem to hold it in for another second. It was unanimously funny for them as if it was a good stand up comedy.

"Pure gold, eh guys?" Cliff said.

"That terrible man had it comin', ta be honest with youse." Charles said with a smile.

"Nice." Walt smirked.

"What you said, bird." Geo added.

Charles took a look at the video information on the page for a good second or two. The moment he laid his canine eyes upon the number of views it received, the dog was nonplussed.

"Whoa!" he exclaimed. "It's over a hundred thousand hits already?"

"Yep, baskin' in all dat glory dere dog." Cliff said. "It'd be nice if dat were ta happen ta us."

Suddenly, a potential thought had occurred in the mind of the white family dog. "That's it!" Charles exclaimed. "I've gots an idear."

Cliff had a feeling he knew where the dog was going when he uttered those words. "We're gonna get some fame?"

"That's exactly what I'm talkin' about, cat!" Charles answered in a snap.

Walt intervened. He figured he'd give the two pets some useful advice. "Now hold on a second." he said as the dog and the cat glanced over to the bird. "You can't just assure that you're going to get some recognition just by uploading some silly video doing whatever. I mean, it's one thing doing so back maybe a decade ago, but it's kinda hard to get yourself discovered on the web nowadays. Over hundreds hours of content is provided every minute-"

"Yeah yeah yeah," Charles interrupted. "That's why we're going down the trendin' route!"

Walt was lightly irritated. "Oh, don't be that kind of animal..."

Cliff shrugged. "Why not? If everyone else is doin' it, I don't see why we can't."

Geo stepped in to make a little suggestion. "What about making something a little unique and not cliche? Everybody's special in their own little way!"

Charles and Cliff stared the hamster down for a split second before they made their decision. "Well yer not wrong dere, Ham." Cliff agreed.

"In all seriousness, following these dumb trends is pretty stupid and boring." Walt said. "It's like participating in a joke that's probably not even funny in the slightest hence why they die out so quickly in some cases. I mean, look at that boring toy for example, or maybe that moth's quest for-"

"Yeah yeah yeah," Charles interrupted the bird yet again as he glared deeply at the dog. "Now c'mon ya guys, let's get ta filmin'!"

* * *

The four pets were sitting in the kitchen now. Geo and Walt sat right next to Charles as he adjusted the camera, attempting to get a good, quality focus on the actions Cliff was about to perform for the camera. The feline sat there patiently, waiting carefully for his cue. He tapped his foot as he stared face to face at the camera wondering if that command from the canine will ever reach the light.

Charles finished setting the camera up now. He was ready to capture some frames. "Alright cat," the dog said as he prepared himself to hit the record button. "Road ta stardom, take one!"

Charles pressed the button as a red light came flashing in the cat's perspective view. "Action!" he exclaimed.

Cliff popped some of his knuckles. He was an undaunted black feline who was ready to show the web what he's made of. He pulled a boombox right into the shot and pushed a button. It was blasting a popular hardcore metal song with amazing guitar leads that was sure to blow anybody away. The cat stood proud as he began to pretend he was shredding those notes on an air guitar.

He continued that act for a several amount of time as Charles, Geo, and Walt all provided a dumbstruck expression. It was something they did not see coming at all. Given the cat's determined face, it became evident that this was his intent.

Two seconds in, the music stopped, along with the cat. He turned to the three pets as he wondered about their verdict. "So, how about dem apples?"

"Nice." Walt said.

"That'll get you far." Geo added.

"My turn, cat!" Charles said as he rushed over to Cliff. The dog was going to do a balancing act for the camera. He placed a ball on the tip of his nose, putting a good amount of effort into keeping the toy from falling off.

Walt gave a yawn as Geo and Cliff continued to observe the pup work his magic. "Gee, how unique." the bird uttered.

Charles spotted some sarcasm in the bird's sentence. "Okay den," he responded. "How about dis?"

The dog sent the ball on his nose flying as he pulled out some berries as he juggled them around. The act of his had the three pets' attention locked on target. It was something to remember a good while. Up and down the berries juggle, before Charles threw them up high as they all fell into his mouth, one by one. He chewed them up for a good second before he swallowed, followed by licking his lips not long after.

"Ahh." Charles uttered. "Now wasn't dat somethin'?"

Everyone stood speechless for a bit. It's like they were impressed.

"Well, I suppose it's something." Geo commented.

"Didn't cha do somethin' like dat before?" Cliff wondered.

Charles innocently rolled his eyes. "Mmmaybe?" he said with a chuckle. "I can feel the stardom overcomin' us already guys!"

"Are you sure this is going to work, dog?" Walt asked.

Charles was quick to hop on an answer. "You can count on it, bird!" he replied. "We just need ta figure out one more thing we're gonna film."

The three pets were curious now. "And by dat, ya mean...?" Cliff said.

"Now, think real hard for a second here." Charles commanded. "Aside from all the comedy and talent, what else seems ta win the hearts a millions?"

Cliff, Geo, and Walt thought real hard on this. It may sound like a trick question but this is a type of genre the dog was trying to shoot for. One by one, they blurted out the first guess that came to their mind.

"Drama?" Cliff answered.

"Mystery?" Walt added.

"Anything cute?" Geo added.

Charles gasped. The hamster had the answer he was looking for. "That's it Ham!"

It all turned into a big montage to capture some of the most entertaining moments the cat and the dog could provide. From Cliff playing on a piano to Charles trying to steal from the pantry, it was all intense. They were confident their attempts to getting some exposure would at least work out in an instant.

* * *

The pets arrived back at the computer desk. They had a feeling they've got a good amount of footage to provide to the Mewtube website. The dog plugged the camera up to the computer before the video files popped up on the screen.

Excitement filled the dog. "Alrighty pals," Charles said. "Looks like we got lotsa clips ta choose from."

"At least check them before you put it up on the web for everyone to see." Walt said.

Cliff groaned. "Dat'll take forever!"

Geo tried to cheer the feline up. "Don't fret," he said. "We'll get through these in no time!"

"I sure hope so, Ham." Charles said. "Time's a wastin'!"

Walt sighed.

Fifteen Minutes Later

All the pets sighed as their choices were cut down to only one option they had left.

"I guess the only one dat turned out any good is the four of us sleepin' together on the rug," Cliff said. "If it weren't fer that darn camera failin' ta focus on the action at times."

"Looks like you're treating the dog like a pillow, cat." Walt said as he stared at the still of the clip.

"My gosh, that is so cute," Geo complimented. "I don't think I can come up with anything cuter than that."

"Despite dat it's only ten seconds long, I'm sure people wouldn't mind watchin' us." Cliff said while he tilted his feline head.

"And ya know what day say," Charles said as he smiled. "People love anythin' cute!"

The dog pulled up the upload page from the website and entered some information to give people a reason to watch their video. He prepared himself to drag the file onto the window. First, the dog had a very important question to ask the other three pets.

"Ready you guys?" Charles asked with a determined expression, to which the three pets responded with a simple nod. He dragged the file to the window before it started to upload to the web. It was finished in less than a few seconds. The whole wide world now has access to the video file Charles uploaded. "And we're public!"

Cliff smirked as he held a determined face. "Great! Now watch dose humans come across us like a speedin' hedgehog!"

The four pets sat there watching the page, in hopes of people taking the time to discover them. Unfortunately, after a good five minutes, they only managed to gather in a sad seven views. At least something was better than nothing. It still didn't live up to the any of the pets' expectation.

Charles, Cliff, and Geo inevitably sighed. "Oh fer goodness sake." Charles uttered. "But hey, it's alright. It's only been a few minutes right?"

"We should probably give this some time." Geo suggested. "We'll come right back to it tomorrow."

"Sounds like a plan there, Ham." Cliff agreed as he gave the hamster a wink.

Twenty Four Hours Later

The pets rushed back to the computer desk. The dog of the family painted a smile on his face as he had a good feeling they would rack up on those hits.

"Alright now," Charles uttered. "It's been a full day since dat clip of us went public."

"Clearly." Walt spat.

"So how many views did we manage ta rack up in that timespan?" Cliff asked.

Charles turned to the computer as he switched the screen on. "Well, let's find out."

As the computer screen finally popped up, Charles accessed the page to where their video can be found. The stats show that the views barely increased. They only got a total of fifty nine views. This kind of information was just enough to fill Charles and Cliff with sadness to influence the two animals to throw their heads down.

"Bah, a heckin' fifty nine views?" Cliff said. "This stinks!"

"All that filmin' fer nothin'?" Charles added. "Where did we go wrong?"

"At least you got some bit of publicity?" Geo said in an attempt to cheer up the two pets.

"At least you two could learn something from this." Walt said.

The bird's sentence grabbed Charles' and Cliff's attention. They glanced over to Walt with puzzled faces. "What are ya talkin' about bird?" Charles curiously asked.

Walt prepared his answer. He only had to hope this time neither Charles of Cliff would try to interrupt the bird. "I understand the pain you guys are feeling right now. But, you do have to realize that getting the spotlight isn't going to happen in an instant just like that. It's all just a matter of time. One of these days, we'll grow to become one of the most iconic group of pets to take the website by storm. It's not like your life is on the line or anything, it's more on the lines of a lot of people worldwide work hard for their life long dream, but it's really not meant for everybody."

Cliff glared at the reader. "Unlike some people dat just use autotune or somethin' like dat ta cheat their way to the top." he whispered.

"Well, if dat's really how it is, why didn't cha say somethin' before?" Charles asked.

"I would've told you that, but no, you just had to keep interrupting me!" Walt angrily replied. "So I just decided to not say another word and let this drag on just to see if it would hit you in the back of your head. As it turns out, it obviously didn't."

Charles and Cliff looked towards each other for a second before they sighed together in unison. They soon realized that no matter how hard they tried, it would always come out with the same exact result. Being underrated to the web was a brand new experience to them. It was like being swept away with the rest of the potential.

They had to learn that today wasn't their time. Even though it sounded unfair to them.

"Bird, yer right." Charles said. "Getting fame is overrated."

"I have ta agree with ya, dog." Cliff added. "Getting popular on the web ain't everythin'. I think it's just better ta stay a hidden piece, just waitin' ta be found."

"There you go." Walt said.

"Hey, at least we had a lot of fun filming yesterday!" Geo said. "Why not look over some of our videos one more time?"

That question had Cliff thinking. "Hmm. We did shoot some interestin' stuff."

"Heck, I'm down!" Charles agreed. "But first, let's grab some popcorn!"

Charles made his way to the kitchen to grab the snack he had a craving for as Cliff, Geo, and Walt followed him close behind. Before any of the animals knew it, the numbers of their uploaded video slowly started to increase gradually. Could this be their time to shine after all?

Thirty Minutes Later

The pets looked over their footage that they shot just yesterday. They all shared their thoughts and comments on the setup of the camera and the talents that Charles and Cliff have performed.

"If only the camera focused at dis part, dat woulda been perfect!" Charles said.

"I honestly had no idea you could shred, cat." Walt complimented.

"What can I say," Cliff replied. "Life in dis house is a big mystery!"

"Next time, I'll take care of the camera whenever we decide to do this again." Geo said.

"Yeah sure, whateva." Cliff answered.

As they continued watching their work on the computer, the television behind them flashed a news article about a video of the week. The segment flashed the four pets sleeping together. It turned out, Charles and Cliff's little dream came true.

 _"This just in, one of the cutest videos to ever hit Mewtube!" the reporter stated loud and clear. "It's D'awwing! It's trending! You won't wanna miss out on these ten seconds of these four animals melting your heart away. It's come across over three hundred and fifty thousand viewers in the past twenty five hours and I don't think anybody's gonna get enough of these furry little friends here! Go ahead, get on your gadgets and show these pets some good ol' fashioned love!"_

* * *

 **~End~**

 **A/N: This was a little idea that sparked in my head about being an underrated creator and learning not to let fame get to your head, and it's all thanks to a guy named OddCombo. Check him out sometime!**


	22. Secret Santa Paws

_Story 21: Secret Santa Paws_

* * *

5:00pm

It's the most wonderful time of the year. From moderate blowing winds to flurries falling to the ground, the great neighborhood of Royal Woods painted white have never put a frown on anybody's face. It's winter time, and everybody's waiting for that one day where they get to open presents from their friends and relatives where it's the thought that counts for a whole lot. They only had to wait one more day to reach that one moment they've all been waiting for.

As the Loud family were out and about for the night to spend some of that Christmas cheer, the family's pets stayed at home as they wondered what to get each other this year. Charles, Geo and Walt are all lined up as Cliff presented them with only four cards, facing down as the feline shuffled them up before he stopped his action seconds later.

"Alrighty pals a mine, it's time ta pick a card!" Cliff said. "Hopefully none of 'em will catch ya off-guard!"

"I really hafta say dere, pal," Charles uttered. "I'm surprised ya ain't usin' a hat."

"Of all the things we get to do, this is going to be so fun!" Geo exclaimed. "The cold winter and all the presents? It could be better than that summer sun!"

"Geez," Walt uttered. "Let's just get this over with if you please, cat."

The pets all took their turns selecting a card of their choice. They each thought long and hard about which one they would go for before the four all closed their eyes and reached out to grab a single card.

They all simultaneously spat, "Got it!"

One by one, the pets flipped over their cards to reveal who's going to construct a present for whom. Charles got Geo, Cliff got Charles, Geo got Walt, and Walt got Cliff. They might not be used to participating in the secret santa project but it's the thought that truly matters deep down inside. Whatever challenge they had to conquer, they all knew they could do it together.

Happiness filled Charles with a gasp. "Wowza!" he reacted. "Dis'll be easier den chewin' on trousers!"

A neutral expression appeared on Cliff, gazing down at the card he selected. "Whoa, ain't dat nice?" he uttered. "This one'll be sweet as a flower."

Excitement overcame the brown hamster. "Oh my, I made a good decision?" Geo worriedly said. "Is it a coincidence? I don't think so! "

Walt was not amused with the card he selected. "Oh boy, this will be pretty interesting." he sarcastically spat. "At least it's not the one who pees in the snow."

"Hey bird," Charles called out to Walt in a menacing tone. "Mind yer bidness why don't ya?"

"Well it's been years since we've known ya," Cliff said, petting the pup on the head. "Who cares where ya do yer bidness in this family? We're animals surrounded by a baker's dozen! At least ya don't tinkle or poop ever so clammily."

Charles blushed upon the words Cliff spat out as he looked down at the carpet. "We all know dat title belongs to the baby," he said as he smiled along, but not before giving a quick smirk to the reader. "Unlike everybody else, she's a real stinker at times, maybe."

Geo and Walt glanced towards each other. "I'm sorry, but might we wrap up the bathroom talk here?" Walt said, growing somewhat impatient as he landed his gaze upon the two animals.

"Yeah you guys," Geo added with an upbeat manner. "We've got ourselves as pals to endear!"

Steadfast and jubilant expressions were painted on the faces of Charles and Cliff. "Yer right, Ham!" Charles said with glee. "Everybody think of somethin' deep down for yer presents, 'n let's get ta makin' progress, fam!"

The four pets all shared a cheer in their ecstatic emotion before they all split their ways to make something each other would simply adore. It's time to take their challenge seriously, as if it was like taking an examination that required cramming in as much information as possible.

* * *

Charles made his way into the room of Rita and Lynn Sr before he plopped his canine rump down on the carpet. He had his paw caressing his chin as he tried to put his canine mind to work. Sooner or later, the perfect idea would make a connection to his cranium.

"What should I whip up for Ham, I wonder," Charles thought. "Aside from all the cheese he likes, he does like a good musical number..."

He wandered around the interior of the bedroom as he made an adamant attempt to flesh out his plan. "Although I like dat kinda stuff too, I'm definitely not one ta sing, but in da very least fer me, it sure is somethin' ta get a ting."

The white dog gulped down some air before he promptly exhaled through his nostrils immediately after. "Since I can't think of nothin' else, I really hope it's worth the shot. So get ready fer this, Ham. I'm 'bout ta give it all I got!"

He cleared his throat as he prepared himself to hit some notes. A second of silence took place for the cheerful Charles before he realized he was missing something. What could it be?

"And a one... Wait a sec," the dog realized before he walked his way out of the bedroom. "I needs me a guitar from upstairs! I should hurry, I'd better go check!"

In the kitchen interior of the house, Cliff walked around in circles. He thought to himself long and hard on what to make for Charles as a gift for tomorrow morning. His mind was definitely in the works. He is a dog after all. He'll gladly accept anything the cat would get him and wouldn't even complain a single word about it.

"Nah, I'm pretty sure dat wouldn't work," Cliff said to himself as his sights gazed upon the checkered floor. "Think cat, think! I don't wanna act like a heartless jerk."

The cat tapped his hind paws as he crossed his front paws trying to get a good idea of what his present would be for the playful canine. "He does like food 'n all, much more than us," he uttered. "All the junk he loves ta scarf down without even makin' a fuss."

Cliff sighed. "I'm not sure how dat'll turn out," he turned to the reader. "Dog don't care 'bout nothin' but stuffin' his own face... As a matter of fact... I should." The frisky cat zipped over to the stove as he jumped up next to it before he set the appliance on medium heat.

"I'll cook 'em up somethin' ta eat if dat's the case!" Cliff boldly said. "I'm gonna try a bacon flavored cake, as long as it doesn't smell like butt. If it turns out better than I thought, I'm sure it'll clearly make the cut!"

Cliff was a little bit baffled now. He had no idea what to cook. "The tiny problem I seek here is, what am I gonna brew up for the pooch? I gotta try ta figure somethin' out, it's not like I'm intendin' ta be a scrooge."

Outside, Walt flew around his bird house as he held a cross expression on his face. "What am I going to get that cat?" he spat to himself. "Come on now, this can't be that hard."

He landed on the rooftop of his house as he began to fidget around. "Hmm... I could get him some yarn..." He sat and thought for a second. "Nah, he has tons of those in the backyard." He glanced over to the yard soon after, only to find out that he was right yet confused at the same time. "Wait a second, what are his balls of yarn doing out here anyway? He never plays with them outside of the house!"

Walt had to get his brainstorming in progress. "Hmm, what does a cat want more than anything?" A few seconds of ideas swarming around the avian's thoughts, it finally occurred to the little yellow bird. "Laser pointer, Fish?"

The bird gasped. "I got it, a toy mouse!"

Walt's eyes squinted as he scoped his surroundings as he made sure Cliff wasn't around. "I'm sure nobody wouldn't mind if I stormed off." he sinisterly said to himself. It's not like the gift had to be made by paw or wing. Cliff never even mentioned that detail in the first place. In all likelihood, it was still fair game. "I'm doing this for that pesky cat after all..."

The bird reminded himself on one detail regarding his trip to the city. "But first, I should get some change, and I don't have time to stall!"

Back inside the Loud house, Geo rolled about in the hallway. He peeked in the rooms of the siblings to try and spark some potential for his christmas gift. Not one thing in any of the rooms did the trick for the brown hamster.

Sadness slightly filled the hamster. "Aw man, what am I going to do?" He uttered, poking at his cranium. "I can't seem to think of anything!"

Geo had to toughen it up. What he needed was some determination. He needed some cheerful pep to be pumped inside his everloving heart. The hamster would never even think close to giving up.

"I can do this," the hamster said. "I just know I can! ...Something that will get me under his wing!"

After a good few seconds of thinking, some potential finally sparked for the hamster. It could be one of the best ideas he's ever thought of in a good while.

Exhilaration filled Geo as he let out a gasp. "I got it! I know what to do!" he uttered. "This might be the best idea yet!" A thought cloud formed over the hamster's head. He pictured Walt being very grateful for a sweater that didn't look like it was ugly in the slightest. Walt later hugged the hamster with a little snuggle. "Maybe if I knit him up something to wear, he won't have a fit, I'm willing to bet!"

Geo rolled over to the bedroom of Lori and Leni. He figured there could be some material he needs to get the job done. A second had passed before Charles exited the bathroom and entered Luna and Luan's room. He promptly looked around for a guitar to work his gift on before he had no choice but to work with Luna's electric guitar as it laid next to her bed.

He softly strummed the strings with indifference as it played in a key of E. "It ain't acoustic but it'll hafta do. I just need ta remember the perfect octane." He picked up the instrument. "I gotta make it sound peppy, hence why I really need ta train."

Charles took notice of the teenage rock star's laptop that laid on the amplifier next to him. He thought he could get some bit of training off of the web. Seconds later, he glanced to the reader with a shrug. It would be worth a shot anyway.

"Maybe if I check the web for some bit a help, it'll eventually pitch an idea fer me." the dog said to himself as a thought bubble appeared over his head. He pictured Geo dancing and rocking out to his guitar strumming. "I bet he'll have such a good time, If I play in the key of D!"

Back in the kitchen, Cliff was having a bit of trouble frying the strips of bacon on the stove. That juicy pork meat gradually shifted to well done faster than the cat thought. To him, it was like magic in an instant. It all happened with barely any time for the feline to react. He wasn't sure what to do.

"Crikey, those strips sure are sizzlin' at a fast pace!" the cat uttered as he picked up the frying pan. "What the livin' heck am I supposed ta do now?"

He shifted his eyes around as he tried to think of something. Soon enough, he did manage to hatch up a plan. "I think I got it, I'll launch 'em onto some dishes! Dere's a chance dey'll hit the floor, hope the dog'll allow..."

About a minute later, the plan was perfectly set up for the indoctrinated cat to execute. His sights were completely fixated at the dish as he calculated his predicted result in his mind. "If my calculations are precise, a casual launch should do the trick." Cliff said to himself.

He was determined. He shifted his paw down on the frying pan handle as strips of bacon flew across the kitchen. One by one, they would all soon land perfectly on the dish. The feline was surprised. He didn't think it would work, but he felt that today would be his lucky day.

"Great scott! Dat went better than I thought!" Cliff said in a dazed manner. "Least I don't hafta get the broomstick!"

He had a thought bubble a second after as he pictured the output of his bacon cake. In his mind, Charles entered his bubble and frantically wagged his tail upon gazing on the cake he baked just for him.

"Dis'll totally turn out great if ya ask me, A multi layered bacon cake for my best bud!" he valiantly thought to himself as a merry Charles gracefully moistened up his lips before he began to chow down on the juicy cake. "All the sweet deliciousness in one treat, I'm sure my good name won't ever be mud!"

 **DING!**

The oven was ready and waiting for the cat. He glanced back at the ingredients he needed to make some cake. He hadn't did the batter yet. Now was the perfect time to do so, since step one of his gift was marked off his list.

Fifteen Minutes Later

Outside in the public eye and nearly empty streets with some dough between the beak, Walt took a gaze through the glass of the pet store, couple seconds before closing time. His eyes shifted all around, looking for that perfect toy for Cliff. Suddenly, he spotted the one. The bird's eyes widened up as he grew fixated on the item.

It was the one item he was looking for all along, a toy mouse. It obviously didn't look like it was used before. It was brand new, like a valuable, popular action figure in mint condition. "Aha! There's that little toy I'm looking for," the bird muffled. "I also can't believe it's at a cheap price."

Walt took notice of the man in charge of the store about to make his way out. "I'll get him that toy no matter what it takes." he spat as the glass door opened up for the man to exit. "This isn't normal for me, I'm never this nice!"

As the owner paid no attention to his surroundings, Walt snuck his way into the store. The man casually closed the door behind him, whipped out his keys and locked the door from the outside.

The bird was surrounded by toys and food in a somewhat dim interior now. The second he heard the tumblers from the door, he knew he was locked in. He had to figure a way out before he obtained his objective.

"Oh shoot, locked in the dang store." Walt lividly uttered. "Saw this coming a mile away."

The bird flew over to the toy mouse he wanted to get for the cat. "At least I can get the mouse without a hassle. Now to bust outta here..." The bird turned to the reader. "But first, I have to pay!"

As Walt got a good grip of the toy with his feet as if he had talons, he flew over on to the counter to leave behind the money he took with him. He had a thought bubble as well as he landed on the desk. He pictured that Cliff would eventually get bored of it after a while before letting out a depressing sigh. He had to think hard. Would he really want something like that, or something even better? Choices filled the bird as he shifted his vision downward.

"It may not be the best I can come up with, but at least I'm exerting some effort." He said to himself. "Whether it's a perfect or the imperfect gift, it should at least be enough for my endeavor."

Walt didn't have time to pick out another item. He was confident enough to at least make whatever he had work out. All that's left for the yellow bird to do now was to make an escape somehow. To him, it'll be like escaping a butterfly net. He's been in situations similar to that before.

Resent and earnest filled the bird.

Half an Hour Later

Back inside the Loud house, Geo was slowly starting to get the hang of knitting something up for the bird. Despite the fact that he never even knew a thing about said activity, it was like a surprising talent the hamster never knew he had.

A smile painted on Geo's face. "Oh my gosh, I can't believe myself!" he uttered. "This result I got will blow his mind!"

He softly caressed the cotton creation he managed to pull off. "I know something that'll be even better," He whipped out a red flower, fit for the size of the bird. "A fresh little flower, perfectly aligned!"

He promptly placed the flower just in the middle of the sweater he knitted. "Now that that's done, I'm sure it'll surprise him." Geo said with a smile. "Showering him with kindness is what I do!"

Back to Charles in Luna's bedroom, wearing headphones as he strummed out one last chord to register. He had a feeling this song for the hamster will be the best one yet.

"I'll have Ham rockin' out ta what I got." Charles said. "I just know dis one'll get him ta woo!"

In the Kitchen, Cliff was just about ready to unveil his masterpiece in the oven for Charles. He pulled down the handle to reveal that his cake base was somewhat a bit overcooked. It didn't matter to him since he was satisfied with how it turned out in the feline's mind.

Cliff was outright astonished. "Wow!" He said. "This cake here sure turned out swell! I bet dat dog'll go nuts!"

Another good ten minutes into the night, Walt set up some kind of contraption in the form of a slingshot to try and make his escape from the unlively pet store. He flew all around the interior, looking for something that has the potential to shatter some glass. The bird's luck would soon be increased as he somehow found a marble resting near one of the toy shelves.

"Finally, something to fire at the windows," Walt uttered. He grabbed a hold of it using his beak before he flew back over to his contraption. He set the marble in the slinger and gradually pulled it back. After stretching the band out a yard or two, Walt fired the marble. The fired object surprisingly managed to crash and crack a huge opening just enough for the bird to get the heck out of dodge. "That mess I just made will be a pain in their butts."

The bird had no time to show any remorse. He did what he had to do. He grabbed onto the toy mouse and bolted out the shattered glass window.

There was nothing else the four pets had to do now. All they could do now was wait until the very next morning to unveil their gifts they made for each other. Whether the gifts they got was a good one or not, all that really mattered was the time or effort they all had to exert onto their gift.

The Next Morning - 7:00am

Tis the day for christmas joy. Opening gifts to show how much everybody cares. The four family pets made their way inside Charles' pooch pen, one by one bringing their gifts for every animal to open. Happiness filled every single pet in the household.

"Okay, pals," Charles said. "I sure hope y'all had a good night's sleep!"

"Sure did, dog," Geo replied. "Last night was such an interesting quest!"

"You're telling me, Ham," Walt said with a weary face. "I was up all night wondering what to get."

"I had some trouble doin' mine," Cliff shamelessly admitted. "But, I'm pretty sure I did my best!"

Charles caught a scent in the air. "Hold on a sec there," he spat. The dog sniffed about trying to find the source of the aroma. "Is dat bacon I'm smellin' at dis hour?"

It was time for Cliff to unveil his gift to the curious pooch. He revealed the bacon cake right in front of the canine. It had him panting ever so frantically. "Yer right there dog! Merry Christmas!" Cliff said as his secret santa. "All the sweet bacon you can devour!"

Charles didn't know what to say. He was happy enough to be thankful for what the cat got him on this special day. "Aw shucks, cat," he said. "It's like ya know me too well!"

The dog turned to the hamster now. He had to prepare himself for this. "Alrighty Ham, I got somethin' for ya ta sell!" He gave Geo a CD player and some earbuds. He was the hamster's secret santa. "Merry Christmas!"

Those two words had Geo smiling. He couldn't wait to hear what the dog cooked up just for him. Geo casually equipped an earbud on one of his ears before he pressed down on the play button. Rock music came blasting through the buds as it gave off a similar vibe to his favorite band. The hamster was ecstatic. It was possibly one of the coolest gifts he's ever received this year.

"Whoa!" The hamster exclaimed. "You made this for me? This music really rocks!"

Charles sheepishly chuckled. "I appreciate dat, Ham!" he said before he turned to his bacon cake. "I was originally gonna go with socks."

Geo stopped listening to the CD player as Charles dug into his food now. It was his turn to present his gift. He was a little nervous about his, but knowing he'd get along with Walt well, he was able to power through.

"Hey bird?" Geo uttered as Walt motioned to him. He revealed a sweater he managed to make in complete solitude. It had the bird staring. It was like a standing ovation. "I made you this little sweater on my own!"

Walt was somewhat impressed with the hamster's ability. It was downright amazing to him in his own individual view. "Some clothing for me to wear on a cold day?" the bird said with a smile. "The flower's a nice touch, and perfectly sewn!"

The bird hopped over to give Geo a little hug. "That was real sweet of you, Ham. I love it."

Walt hopped over to Cliff now as the feline licked away at his paws. "Hey cat," he said, grabbing his attention. He brought in a toy mouse in front of the feline's eyes as he looked away after each word he spat. "I got you something, hope you can make of... it."

Cliff wasn't amused at first. He had a suspicion that he just bought it at the store. But instead, he'll let it slide. He never once mentioned that it had to be made themselves. He had only himself to blame for this error.

"A mouse, huh?" Cliff uttered in an unhappy tone, grabbing the attention of Charles and Geo. "Dis was the only thing ya could come up?"

Walt was nervous. "I uh... yup?"

Before the bird could say anything else, Cliff grabbed him and laid a smooch on the bird's face. Walt was understandably aghast. The cat's affectionate action caught him completely off of his guard.

The bird shook his head. "Bleh! That's gross! What the heck was that for though?"

"Two answers ta dat, bird!" Cliff enthusiastically said. "I love the mouse ya got, and the mistletoe!" He pointed up. There really was a mistletoe. He continued to look at it for a couple of seconds before giving off an uncomfortable answer.

"Oh... okay then?" Walt said in a daze.

"Well, it looks like everyone was satisfied with what they got." Charles said. "Dere's love all around since we knew each other from the start." The dog grabbed the rest of the pets one by one as he continued spewing out the rest of his monologue. "It's not about all dose expensive items 'n moolah, what really matters about us is givin' from the heart!"

The four pets snuggled together for a good bit of time before they all let out a sigh. "I love ya, pals... to the very end!" Charles uttered.

"You could definitely say dat again, dog." Cliff happily agreed.

"This was a very nice Christmas we've had together!" Geo added.

"I'll admit, that was a very touching monologue," Walt said.

The bird's comment left a smile on Charles face. "Thank ya, bird!"

A second or two later, they all heard someting coming from the Loud House. It was the door as Lincoln came to open it. It had Charles quickly smiling. "Oh boy, I know dat sound! It's comin' from a door hinge!" The four shifted their attention to outside of the pooch pen. "Well wouldn't ya know it pals, It's my boy dressed in orange!"

The eleven year old boy whistled for Charles to come inside and open up some presents with him along with his ten sisters. "Here Charles! C'mere boy! Everybody's waiting for you!"

The pets glanced towards each other before turning their attention back outside the dog house. "Well, c'mon pals!" Charles said. "Time fer more presents ta tear through!"

One by one, the pets zipped out of the doghouse and straight into the house to join in on the fun with the family.

* * *

 **~Merry Christmas from your favorite Loud pets!~**


	23. Along For The McBride

_Story 22: Along For The McBride_

* * *

11:00am

Today was the day for the Loud family to finally take a vacation they all worked so hard on for the past few months. It was finally time to take on something new. Everyone was all packed and ready to go on a brand new experience outside Royal Woods like they've never experienced it before.

A very passionate Lincoln made a call to his best friend Clyde through the use of a walkie talkie, asking him a simple favor before they leave out of town.

"Hey Clyde!" he said. "Me and my family are going to head out for our trip in just a few minutes."

Clyde was surprised. It was almost like he was happy for him. "Really?" he responded. "That's so cool!"

"Yeah! So, I called you to see if you're willing to help us with a little something while we're gone?"

That question along had the McBride thinking. He thought for a brief moment before he responded back. "Oh, well... sure why not!"

"That's perfect! You'll be over in a few, right?"

Clyde chuckled. "Sure thing, bud! ...But it won't be for another hour."

Lincoln was confused. "Huh?" he reacted. "How come?"

"My dads have some personal business to take care of and they need my help for the time being. But don't worry, I'll be on my way as soon as we're done here!"

Lincoln's spirits rose. "That's awesome! There's a note that Lana made on the table in our living room to look out for. It's a list of things you have to do for our pets as you watch the house while we're gone for a few days."

Clyde felt confident about the boy's task. It wouldn't be much of a problem on his behalf. He does have two cats on his own. "Not a problem there, Lincoln." he said. "You can count on this McBride."

"Thanks!" he contentedly reacted. "It's a total bummer that you won't see us when you get over here, but you'll definitely see us when we come back!"

"Definitely!"

Some unintelligible chatter omitted through his walkie talkie. The source was from Harold, asking him for his help at the very minute. "That must be my dad," Clyde said. "I gotta go, bud. Have fun, and I'll see you soon!"

Lincoln smiled. "I will! And thank you so much for doing this for us!"

Clyde assured himself with a simple "No problem!" before the conversation was put to an end from there.

* * *

One Hour Later

It was once again, affably quiet down in the interior of the Loud House. Four pets were all together in the same exact place, snoozing their day away ever since the Louds left for their vacation trip. A peaceful day indeed. No ensuing chaos for at least two to three days straight. It was almost like they'll have plans to execute during their complete absence.

The sound of growling stomachs ensued after a while, waking up every single animal in the household. Somebody was hungry, and it was time to satisfy their needs.

"So much for snoozing in..." Walt irritably spat.

The rest of the pets turned to the sarcastic avian. "Gee bird," Charles said. "Ya don't hafta be so short-tempered all da time."

"Yeah, why so rude?" Geo curiously questioned.

Walt placed a wing over his face, wiping it off in the process. "Sorry guys," he uttered. "I've been going through something for the past couple of days, and it's starting to get real heated as of now. I would explain more, but chances are you guys wouldn't give a care."

Charles, Cliff and Geo all sat there, staring at the bird for a brief moment until Cliff broke the silence. "Well... I would." the cat uttered in response.

The dog looked down to an empty stomach before he turned to the rest of the pets. "Anyway pals," he said. "Who's up fer some leftover grub dose humans have in store in da fridge?"

The feline responded by licking his lips. "I can hardly wait dere, dog!"

"I am!" Geo added.

"I guess I could go for something." Walt uttered.

As they were all making their way to the kitchen to munch on some food they had left in the fridge, the sound of tumblers from the front door omitted, catching them all off their guard. It was like their hearts jumped. The pets turned to the door, thinking someone was about to let themselves in.

Their suspicions turned out to be completely true.

Clyde and his dads, Harold and Howard appeared right at the doorway, prepared with several items to help watch over the house. Their unexpected visit to the house confused the pets. They thought they had the house to themselves for a few days, to do anything to their heart's content. They were all sorely mistaken.

"Hey there," Clyde said. "Hope you don't mind us stopping by here for a couple days!"

The pets shared a gulp simultaneously as the pre-teen himself formally introduced the pets to his two fathers. "This is Charles, that's Cliff, this one here's Geo, and last but not least, Walt."

"They do seem to be in good condition." Harold said, influencing the pets to share an awkward smile.

"They all look cute..." Howard diffidently complimented, causing the pup of the house to blush.

"Compliments aside, I have a promise to keep to my old buddy Lincoln." Clyde said as he walked over to the table, picking up a short to-do list for the Louds. "We have some house observing to do."

The pets looked at the three men before sharing an awkward glance towards one another. Things are going to get under control for them. Before the McBrides could do anything else in the household, the pets all zipped to the kitchen, out the doggy door, and into the red pooch pen which belonged to the white canine of the family. The three men didn't see that coming at all. They were understandably perturbed.

So much for getting two to three peaceful days of being left alone.

As the four pets were in the doghouse filled with bate, they all broke down into discussion about the McBride family. Strong scowls ensued for them all as their feral conversation progressed.

"I don't believe this fellas," Charles fumed. "What da heck are dose humans doin' here?"

"Heck if I know," Cliff retorted. "The real question is, what is with our family?"

"Yeah, I agree with the cat!" Walt angrily spat. "Do they really think we're incapable of behaving ourselves?"

"Guys, calm yourselves!" Geo said, much to his fret. "I highly doubt this is worth a concern-"

"Yes, it is!" Charles, Cliff, and Walt simultaneously spat towards the hamster, causing a small jump. He sighed, as he was unwillingly cut off by the three animals.

The dog grew more furious after each word he exerted. "We don't need no humans I've never met before ta watch over us!" Charles said.

Cliff stepped in to nonchalantly ask the white dog a specific little question. "Have ya even sniffed at dere-"

"Quit bringin' dat up!" Charles yelled.

Cliff continued the topic about their troublesome situation. "I'm probably not da one ta turn to fer any advice about dis," he said. "...But dere comes a time where yer old enough to da point where ya don't need nobody ta watch over youse."

Walt nodded to the feline. "Yeah! I mean, it's not like we're gonna 'run away', or 'kill each other' or something like that. We've always been loyal to this family, no matter what the cycle of life had to throw at us."

"Dat's da one thing I just wish dis family'll understand dere, bird." Charles rejoined in agreement. "Now fellas, dis leaves me wit' no choice. We're gonna hafta show dese humans dat we're capable of takin' care of ourselves!"

The other pets, sans Geo unanimously cheered as resolution filled them. They were all insistent on showing the McBride family on how well-behaved they really are. Despite the family owning two cats themselves, they were possibly confident enough that they could take care of four.

It was time to show the family what they can do.

"Wait a sec, how exactly are we gonna do dis?" Cliff curiously wondered.

Charles stood there quiet for a second. He was stumped. "Ya know, I haven't got the foggiest idea on what ta do about it." he shamelessly answered. "Might as well try ta improvise as we go along with dis, I suppose..."

Clyde's voice reached out to the pets as he looked for them outdoors. "Charles? Cliff? Pets?" he said. "Report back to the house, right this instant!"

Charles inhaled before exhaling. "Alright, let's get dis over wit'." he uttered, extending his paw out for the others to follow after these words read the dog's lips. "Paws 'n wings in."

Cliff, Geo and Walt all did so without a second to spare. After a quick second, the animals all shouted "Break!" before each and everyone inevitably dispersed.

Five Minutes Later

Back inside the house, the first thing the McBrides had on their to-do list was to tackle the pets' hygiene. An upset Charles and Cliff were in the arms of Howard and Harold as the latter stopped the flow of water from the faucet from a tub.

"Alright there, Charles," Howard uttered. "T-Time to hop in."

The two fathers slowly set the two animals down in the temperate bath water as they rubbed away at their fur, applying the liquid soon after. Soon after, they broke out the soap. To them, it was like bathing a small child who loved to have everyone do things for them. As for the pets, a load of chagrin filled them. They didn't ask for this in any shape or form. It was like they could never catch a break from anybody.

The dog and the cat's ears flopped down low as they softly growled to them, catching the men's attention that something's wrong.

"What's wrong, Cliff?" Harold asked.

"Too hard?" Howard curiously said.

"You think we used too much soap?"

Howard had a feeling it could've been something else. "Nah, it couldn't have been that."

"Hm..."

Charles and Cliff irritably rolled their eyes. The first part of the chore was complete. Harold set his next task on getting some items as he left the bathroom to get them. Before he could move another step, he gave Howard some instructions.

"I'm going to get the conditioners since I forgot to get them up here, you get the towels." he said before he walked off downstairs.

"Sounds like a plan." Howard responded before he too walked out of the bathroom to retrieve the item.

It was just the two animals alone at the very moment. They thoroughly sighed in unison just before a bubble or two rose up from behind the dog, popping inevitably as it reached the surface. It caught the two of them off their guard, especially the cat of the household before he hesitantly smirked and responded to a dazed Charles with "Nice."

The compliment had the dog blushing. He glared at the feline before growled, splashing the feline in the face with the sudsy water, causing him to meow in surprise.

Clyde was downstairs in the kitchen, preparing the food for the pets as a Geo and Walt stayed put on the checkered floor, observing the kid do his work. In the mind of a yellow, hostile avian, he felt that this was somewhat controlling. It was almost like a long lasting debate on what they could and couldn't do inside the interior. It's as if somebody set some strict rules in the house that everybody had to follow.

"Alright, the food's out and ready." Clyde said. "Hopefully this would satisfy your growling guts."

Walt gave a glare to the child. If there was a time for the bird and the hamster to throw in a complaint, now would be the perfect time to deliver it, to his face. He flew over to Clyde, uttering his angry tweeting, before the boy took cover, making his attempts desperate to calm the mad avian.

"Whoa, Walt!" he exclaimed. "Calm down, I'm getting your food in a second!"

Geo sighed once more. If only the other pets could understand their intent on why the McBrides were over here in the first place, they wouldn't have to put on a ruthless scene. It was three against one in his case. He was such a poor little critter, only trying to prove his point to the rest of the pets. He didn't think that he would be unfortunate enough to unanimously get singled out, just like that by the rest of the pets in almost an instant.

The only thing the hamster could do now from this point onward was to watch their arguments towards the McBrides unfurl. Not long after, he sluggishly threw his head down, shaking his head in mere disappointment.

Back upstairs in the bathroom, while Clyde's fathers were still gone, Charles and Cliff jumped out of the tub, shaking themselves dry until they puffed up not long after.

"Alright dere, cat?" he asked.

"Well, whattaya think?" Cliff retorted. "Now, dey want care? Let's give 'em care. Darn humans think we're incapable of handlin' ourselves."

Charles nodded with a determined smile. He suddenly had an idea after he answered to the damp feline. "Yeah, we'll show 'em alright. Hurry up 'n grab some brushes and toothpaste!"

Cliff saluted. "Right!" he responded, hopping up on the sink to grab hold of the two items the dog requested. He tossed a set over to the canine as he squeezed some toothpaste out of the tube, brushing away at his chompers before the canine did the exact same thing. They just hope they could pull off their little plan before Harold and Howard arrived back in the bathroom.

"Hurry, dog!" Cliff spat.

"Ya ain't gotta tell me twice!" Charles responded, hopping up to the sink. They both continued to brush away at their teeth for a brief period of time as if they were gnawing away at a freezing popsicle. Cliff gurgled while Charles licked away at the bristles as they were almost finished, before they both spat everything their mouths had in store had into the sink in front of them.

They shared a smile in front of their mirror. Glistening chompers were evident for the two animals, making them satisfied with their result. Charles and Cliff fist bumped for a job well done on their part.

Quick paced footsteps omitted out in the hallway. Clyde's dad were on their way back to the bathroom, and fast. Charles and Cliff hopped down from the sink, landing feet first before Charles slipped and fell flat on his stomach, letting out a small yelp immediately after.

"You alright, dog?" Cliff asked in concern.

"Of course," Charles answered as if he had nothing to worry about. "It's a good thing we haven't eaten yet or else dis could get real musky in here."

Cliff smirked. "So yer not even gonna mention da fact dat ya did somethin' while we were in da bath?"

Charles gave another glare towards the snarky cat. "Yeah, I splashed yer face. So what?"

Cliff sighed before he let out a subtle snicker under his breath. Before they could do anything else, Howard and Harold arrived back to the bathroom interior with towels and conditioners. It was almost like they were busted for doing the wrong thing.

"What are you two doing out of the bath?" Harold questioned, lightly telling the two animals off.

Howard grabbed the moist feline, with intent to place him back into the tub. "We're not done with you just yet." he unconfidently spat. "We just need to do one more-"

It happened without any warning. Cliff's sudden meowing and hissing at him caught the man off guard. He swiped his paw across the man's arms delivering a couple of wounds to his living flesh. Howard yelped in great pain as he reacted to Cliff suddenly acting out of control, causing the man to suddenly lose his grip on the pesky feline.

"Yow!" he exclaimed, much to the utter shock of Harold and the white dog before the cat took his distance from the man. They didn't think the cat would suddenly act out.

"Howard!" Harold said. "Are you alright?"

"I-I don't know why I didn't see that coming..." Howard nervously said. "I guess the cat's trying to tell us something?"

While Cliff was still holding on to his incensed expression, the cat responded with a casual nod. Harold and Howard curiously raised an eyebrow as they took notice of the feline answering their question. It was the pet's chance to put their explanation into detail. Despite the fact that the cat could only meow to them in response to whatever the two had to throw at him, he was willing enough to at least take a shot.

Downstairs in the living room now, Walt still messed around with the eleven year old McBride. Geo still lamented about how he would be outnumbered on his part. It's like none of the pets didn't give their two cents about him at all, even though his idea sounded like he had a point. Although the Louds do think about them whenever they're not around the house but It was a divisive matter, but he wasn't going to let a unanimous decision like that bring his hopes down. He had to do something about it.

When the perfect opportunity reaches the hamster's sights, that's when he'll decide to make his move.

Clyde skimmed through the list of things to do for the pets as he repeatedly hyperventilated into a baggie. while he attempted to shoo the mad avian off. "Aw geez, what am I going to do with you, Walt?" he nervously uttered. "I can't let my best friend for six years down after everything we've done together!"

He grew more anxious with each and every sentence he spewed out. But, he wasn't going to let a bird stop him from doing what matters the most in his friendship with Lincoln. He tried to make an offer to him before he set the paper down. "Hey, you want to sing along to some music?" he asked, as that was one of the things on the list.

The question alone had Walt stop flying around the boy, almost as if he suddenly paused in midair. His anger towards the kid slowly withered away as he flew over to the radio, landing on top of it soon after. He pushed some buttons on the box before some classical, but sophisticated music blasted through the speakers.

Walt was satisfied. He prepared himself for a short time before he sang along to the music playing through the radio. In his mind, he was an angel that had yet to omit a sour note from his gullet. It was absolutely flawless.

Clyde stood there speechless. The bird seemed to have left a memorable impression on the boy. "Wow." he simply uttered as Geo rolled next to him, bumping into his leg. "Oh, hey Geo."

He chuckled for a bit before he picked up the hamster's ball before he started to make with some unnecessary baby talk. "Aren't you the cutest wittle hammy I've ever seen. Yes you are, yes you are!"

Geo was understandably uncomfortable now, but he was also confused at the same time. The hamster was almost on the verge of cringing at Clyde's attempt to try and bond with him. He wasn't used to this kind of talk before like they used on felines and canines alike. The boy's actions had him thinking for a brief moment. Maybe the other pets could be right about the McBrides after all.

It would soon reach to an inevitable conclusion in the hamster's head that he didn't need anyone to watch over them. It wasn't like they were all babies that needed to be watched over constantly. They were well behaved enough to do fine without anyone bothering them in the first place. If they were able to handle seven to eight hours alone in the house for five straight days several times before, being alone for a couple of days would be a total cinch to them all.

Geo had to stand up. For him. For the other pets. It's time for the hamster to bust out the big guns. He started off with some of his chattering toward the pre-teen boy, politely asking him to set him down on the carpet floor.

"Sorry." Clyde uttered, setting the hamster's ball back on the floor, letting Geo free to roam around wherever he wanted. Geo rolled to the table in front of him at full speed, hitting one of the legs as it knocked a television remote down to the floor. He was confident that he knew what to do to get the McBrides to understand that they didn't want them around to begin with.

Clyde was confused with what Geo was trying to do. He watched him carefully as the hamster hopped out of his ball, pushing a button to turn on the television behind him. A news article picture presented itself on the rectangular screen, but without any volume.

The boy grew more impressed after Geo's show of intelligence. "That's amazing..." he uttered, unable to think up a better comment to provide. "I'm starting to think you guys have things under control here..."

Back upstairs, Charles and Cliff exerted themselves to oblivion as they put on a show for Clyde's two father figures. Cliff stroked the pup's white fur repeatedly with the use of a brush before the two switched positions. Their intent was to hopefully leave an impression on the two men so they would at least leave them be for the rest of the time the Louds were absent in the house. As the two pets took a glance at their nonplussed faces, they were somewhat assured they had this one in the bag. They wish they didn't have to show off their mysterious aptitude in front of the boy's fathers, but they were desperate to try anything they can to finally get some of their alone time back.

"I-I don't understand this." Howard said. It was almost like he was either suddenly hallucinating, or he's finally seen everything. Heck, him and Harold were outwitted by two of their own cats once before. Nothing should be able to surprise him from this point now.

"Relax, Howard," Harold uttered, patting him on his shoulder. "Pets like ours are always up to their zany little schemes like this. These two are no different than what our cats have done."

Howard started shaking vigorously after he uttered more words. "I don't know, I think I'm having another episode..."

"Man, you have got to lay off on some of that coffee you've had for the past week or so. I think they're trying to say that they don't need our help."

Charles and Cliff quickly nodded to Harold remark as they elicited a smile. That was what they've been trying to say to them from the start of their unexpected visit to the Loud House.

"Hmm. Y-You might be right about that." Howard replied. "I'm well impressed with how well trained their pets are... it's quite scary if we're allowed to be honest here..."

"Well, what do yo expect from a universe like this one? A lot of things can happen here." Harold said, before Charles winked to Harold. He knows. "And if they're well trained enough to take care of themselves, I'm afraid they won't be needing us anytime soon."

The result influenced a fist bump between the dog and the cat.

Five Minutes Later

Clyde and his dads made their way to the open front door, items all packed up for the next day. Impressions were made today in the interior of the Loud house. It was like heading out to an amusement park ride for a time that none of them will not soon forget. But alas, all good thing must soon come to a well deserving end. IT was time for the McBride family to depart from the Loud House for the day.

"Well pets, It's been... pretty interesting today." Clyde said.

"But don't forget, we still have to stop by and check on you from time to time and make sure nothing goes wrong!" Harold uttered as he gave a wink.

"We'll see you all tomorrow afternoon!" Howard nervously smiled.

And with that, they all exited the house, closing the door from behind. The pets' mission was complete. They wanted to feel the urge to celebrate, but for some reason, it just didn't spark inside them all.

"Well, dat's dat!" Charles said, brushing his paws off together.

"We did it ya guys!" Cliff said with a nice mood.

"But they're coming back to check on us... tomorrow!" Walt spat in mere disappointment.

"At least we finally get to catch a break and do anything we want..." Geo uneasily said.

Charles stomach growled. He was real hungry by now, along with the cat. "And da first thing I'm gonna do is hit da fridge!" he spat, walking his way to the kitchen. I'm starvin' here!"

"Yer always starvin', dog." Cliff said as an understatement before he followed the white pup there.

Walt was somewhat curious to the point where he had to ask Geo a question regarding their meeting in Charles' red pooch pen. "Hey Ham," he said. "What was your input on the whole pet sitting situation anyway?"

That piercing question had Geo in utter irritation. They didn't care about his plan before, he was mad about someone finally showing their care for him.

"Oh, so _now_ you guys are interested in what I had to say about all of this!" Geo exclaimed before rolling off to be in solitude. "Well it's too late for that now!"

Walt was stunned as he watched the hamster roll away from him. He shared a glare at the reader before he ultimately sighed.

* * *

 **~End~**

 _A/N: This was probably one of the most difficult one shots I've ever worked on for this series. Although I'll admit it's probably not my best one but at least I was able to power through and make it work somehow. Also, I've reached the 100k word milestone for this series! That's a nice little accomplishment I've managed to reach!_

 _Don't forget, I'm open to any suggestions (PM or review) that are for this series and this series only and keep a lookout for more one shots each Saturday of this month! Thank you very much and I will see you in the next chapter~_


	24. Nowhere To Hydrant

Story 23: Nowhere to Hydrant

* * *

10:15am

A typical warm, but humid day in the middle of the week down in the good neighborhood of Royal Woods. It was very peaceful outdoors, even the birds were happily chirping away at it without a single care in the world. Another day where the Louds weren't around the house thanks to seven to eight whole hours of school interfering their days five times a week. It definitely wasn't a slow day for them. It was extremely productive, much to the siblings surprise.

Ever since they leave at the break of dawn each weekday to tackle on their education, they've always wondered how the pets are doing without then for that lengthy amount of time. They were sure they'd be fine. Heck, they've got four pets around to kill some time. It wasn't like they'd be in complete solitude or anything. No amount of boredom could ever take place in the lives of those four furry little animals.

Nevertheless, let's infiltrate the whereabouts of the Loud family's pets.

Charles was outside next to his favorite fire hydrant. He sniffed about on the red pump, savoring the musk he applied to it just earlier today. It was like he was in love with it, as if the object was his one true soulmate. He wagged his little tail as he made some lovey-dovey eyes to it before he would soon waggle his brows.

"Hoo boy," Charles said as he sluggishly caressed the pump, before turning to the reader. "How I love dis here fire hydrant. It's one of da tings dat mean a lot ta me. I've been layin' my scent on dis baby ever since I laid my eyes upon it."

The white hound inhaled deeply on his property. It's like the connection point to a water supply stole the heart of the very contented animal as red hearts floated about above his head. "Ahhh..." the dog uttered. "Nothin' like da pure sensation of sniffin' yer own signature scent. Dat's how ya know it's yer own territory! And if anybody dares ta step in it, dere gonna hafta go through me first!"

A dog that's about the same size as Charles approached him in a naive motion. The animal set his sights on the white hound's fire hydrant before the white hound walked up and softly growled at him.

"Back off you," Charles spat, influencing the innocent pup to keep his distance. "Dis here's my property!"

The dog yelped before taking off shortly after. Not a single shred of remorse filled the single-minded canine at all. The fire hydrant was like a golden key to him. He wouldn't dare to let any other animal in the neighborhood even think of tainting the nickel-silver brass. The only dog who could taint the hydrant with a signature musk was Charles himself.

He immediately returned back to stuffing his nose on the hydrant, sniffing about without a care in the world. That is, up until he heard a meow catching him off his guard. It made him jump a little, until he realized that meow came from Cliff himself. He sighed for a brief moment before he drew a sentence.

"Gee cat, ya don't need ta sneak up on me like dat." the hound irritably spat.

"Whatcha doin'?" Cliff sincerely asked.

Charles' sights swiftly shifted from the left and right. He wasn't sure what to do. "Uh... nothin'?" he nervously answered before he gave the cat a sheepish smile.

Cliff was suspicious. "C'mon dog, you were doin' somethin' alright. What are ya doin' sniffin' around that ting?"

Charles rolled his eyes in an irritable fashion. It was almost like it was none of the feline's business. In this case, it really wasn't. "Does it matter ta youse?" he questioned.

The black feline sat there and thought about it for a second. "Eh... kinda, yeah? I mean, it's just a fire hydrant. Nothin' dat important if ya ask me."

"Well, it is ta me!" Charles retorted. "All these years, I've been stoppin' by here nonstop, makin' sure nobody lays dere musk on dis here hydrant."

Cliff tilted his head. He was understandably confused. "Now, ain't it kinda unnecessary ta y'know, guard a fire hydrant just cause ya love ta stink it up on yer own time?"

"'Scuse you, we dogs call it 'musk' nowadays." Charles corrected. "Get wit' da program."

Cliff sighed. "Dis is so pointless, dog. Who cares about whoever lays their... musk on a dumb ol' hydrant?"

"It's nowhere near pointless, cat!" Charles retorted again. "When ya mark yer territory on anythin', that makes it yer property! Besides, it's a dog ting. Ya wouldn't understand a ting about it anyway."

Cliff took that as an offense, as if he thought the dog think's he's somewhat either dim-witted or inept to other animal cultures. "Well I'll have ya know that I know a lot about yer mutt culture-"

"Hey, watch it..." Charles warned the feline.

"...About yer canine culture." Cliff recommenced, before he walked back to the Loud house. "Come back inside da house and I'll explain more while we dig in some 'a dat juicy meat we got!"

Charles stomach growled. Talk about timing, as if it was a complete coincidence. The mention of the word meat had him wagging his tail nonstop. "Really? Boy, I sure hope ya got some porterhouse!"

The dog turned back to the pump. He caressed it ever so slightly once again before he soon joined Cliff back indoors. "I'll be back ta smell ya later, my hydrant..."

* * *

Fifteen Minutes Later

Vanzilla was back at the Loud house now. The siblings that go to the Royal Woods elementary school managed to get out a bit early due to some faulty electrical wiring that gave out on the school without any given warning whatsoever. Lucky them. What were the chances of something like that happening in a lifetime?

The white hound exited out the front door of the residence with a satisfied stomach along with the dark feline of the household. Filled up with a quarter pound of meat, he was ready to resume back to his precious red object after all that boring information about his culture presented by the cat.

"Delicious!" Charles said before licking his lips. "Pretty juicy indeed. Warm, meaty goodness worth sinkin' my teeth into!"

The dog had his eyes fixated on the fire hydrant once again. He wagged his tail around just looking at it. He treated it as if it was an irresistible treat for him to enjoy. "Hellooooo hydrant!" he exclaimed. The white hound himself couldn't help himself but zip directly to the hydrant and sniff at it some more. Cliff wasn't surprised about it in the slightest.

"Aw c'mon dog," the cat uttered, approaching the dog from behind. "Ya just had a nose-full of dat ting fifteen minutes ago! How much fragrance does it even have?"

Charles turned his sights on the concerned feline. "Ya don't understand, cat!" he said. "Dis here hydrant needs my frequent attention everyday of the week!"

"Yer wastin' yer time wit' dis hydrant ting." Cliff assured. "It ain't necessary ta be so possessive about it..."

Charles inhaled deeply on his own aroma for a brief moment of time before out of the deep blue, he caught a new scent that infiltrated his moist nose. It was a completely different scent. A smell that the dog never smelled before. That bloodhound nose of his certainly didn't play any mind tricks on him. It was a very unique aroma to the canine, to the point where his wagging tail came to a screeching halt. That eclectic canine mood of his was about to be whiplashed in a snap. An infuriating scowl took over the dog's face as he omitted a rowdy growl.

"Somebody marked their territory on my hydrant!" Charles exclaimed, shifting his eyes left and right. This was consequential to the white beast. Cliff was highly strung. At the same time, he was baffled as to why the snarling pup on high alert would act out over something this disproportionate.

"Now now, simmer down pup..." Cliff nervously said, attempting to soothe the angry dog. "I'm sure dis ain't dat much of a concern ta youse-"

Charles ran up to the surprised cat's face. He didn't have the time to accept any of his jokes. "Ya tink dis is some kinda joke?!" he spat before walking around his hydrant. "Somebody here's committed a crime, tryin' ta claim my property?! Well dey better watch out, cause I ain't stoppin' 'til I find da culprit. Even if I hafta sniff out ev'rybody or butt here in dis neighborhood! I know yer out dere, I've got da nose of a bloodhound! Don't tink I ain't gonna find ya."

"Okay now," Cliff irritably said. "Yer bein' way too dramatic about dis. It's just a dumb ol' hydrant-"

Charles grabbed Cliff, pulling him towards his face as his eyes squinted tightly in deep anger. "Listen here you, dat hydrant ain't dumb. I've spent almost ev'ry day layin' my precious scent on dat ting. And ain't nobody gonna douse a single drop on my baby while I'm around."

Cliff corrected the white animal before he gave him a smirk. "Someone just did based on what ya just said not long ago."

Cliff's snark had Charles growling yet again. The hound threw the cat to the side before he threw both of his paws down in a fierce matter. "Dat's it." he said. He was mad, yet determined to catch the offender sooner or later. "In my many years of bein' a good hound, da offender normally returns back to dis hydrant after leavin' dere mark on it. Until I sniff out da trespassin' jerk who tainted my precious trophy, we ain't movin' from dis spot!"

It struck Cliff like a jump scare to his heart. The latter sentence caught the cat in a daze, albeit letting out a gasp as he didn't see this coming. "Whoa whoa whoa dere, dog." he frantically uttered. "Ya hafta be kiddin' me! I ain't sittin' out here all day wit' ya ta find someone dat left a scent on yer hydrant, it's a total waste 'a my time! Plus, the bird's waitin' for me ta play some game wit' him in half an hour and I ain't gonna leave him hangin' knowin' how he is!"

Before the black feline could even hop up off the concrete sidewalk, Charles turned to growl at him in hopes to get him to reconsider. He stopped the moment he heard getting growled at, eliciting an uncomfortable expression before the cat leisurely lowered his haunches back on the concrete.

"Now, I tink you 'n I understand each other." Charles spat. "Ya ain't goin' nowhere until we catch dis culprit. 'N if yer in such a hurry, at least put yer nose ta work!"

"Wha? Me helpin' ya sniff out da offender?!" Cliff questioned. "Yeah, no. I ain't doin' dat. Besides, what normal cat uses dere nose like you do?"

"You'd be surprised at da number 'o cats dat actually do." The dog answered without having to hesitate a second. "Now get ta sniffin'!"

Cliff just sat there. All he did for the past ten seconds was examining the white growling dog stuffing his nose near other dogs that walked past the two of them. He kept sniffing at them nonstop, trying to break down the source of the taint.

"Nope."

"Not him."

"Dat ain't him either."

Cliff looked down at his paw to look at the time on his right fore leg. It read almost twenty minutes to eleven. He was nervous about missing out on the bird's meetup for a game down the road. He had to reassure himself. There was still plenty of time. The cat took a good glance towards the reader before he gave a long sigh as he rolled his eyes around.

This was about to get a little... putrid for the feline. He just wanted this over and done with, no matter how ridiculous this sounded to him. "Dat dog's gonna owe me big time fer dis." he uttered before he unwillingly blushed.

Another dog approached the two down the sidewalk. As the animal was in range with the two, Cliff stuffed his big nose near his backside and inhaled deeply. "Blech. Dunno if that's the one..."

Cliff sniffed at another dog's backside, albeit he looked bigger than he was and was surprisingly in a friendly mood. "Ugh! What has he been eatin'?!"

The cat sniffed at another dog. This time, it was a small puppy passing by. At least the dog in question wasn't as filthy as the previous two. "Sure cleans up nice..."

One Hour Later

It was slightly getting cloudy down in the neighborhood now. The grey skies above was almost to the point of receiving a slight chance of precipitation. Cliff was still sitting with a hostile Charles next to the hydrant. Aghast filled him all the way up, to the point where he felt the urge to gag from sniffing the rear ends of all of the passing animals for that amount of time.

Cliff pawed away at his nose before he snorted only once in disgust. "I don't understand how you can handle doin' somethin' this... repulsive, dog." he uttered.

"Darn it all!" Charles uttered. "An hour into inspectin' all dese strangers and we still ain't got no leads to da culprit."

"Well, I sure hope yer happy dog," Cliff spat before crossing his paws. "Now, once we're done here, I just hope da bird doesn't flip once he sees me."

Charles scoped his surroundings before he landed his gaze on the complaining feline. "Dat ain't important ta me right now cat. Just get back ta sniffin out da intruders." He turned his sights back out on the horizons as he squinted his eyes once again in reassurance. "I know yer out there somewhere..."

Cliff gravely sighed. This had gone on far enough to the cat's own standards. He didn't ask for any of this to take place for him. He had to pass up a game with Walt just to assist Charles with finding who tainted his red pump. To simply say that this didn't seem fair in the slightest to him is a major understatement.

"This is ridiculous." the cat muttered to himself before he turned to the reader. "And I know I don't get nothin' in return fer somethin' like dis."

More dogs passed by, minding their own business. Cliff prepared himself. Although he personally didn't like it, albeit embarrassed about it at least, it was for his faithful companion.

He inhaled deep at the animals along with Charles. Unfortunately, not a single one could fit the description of the musk from the hydrant.

"Nope."

"Not dat one."

"He's clean."

The two house pets went at it for an endless amount of time. To no avail, the both couldn't manage to find the one that soiled the pump. Hopefully the cat could manage to think of some plan to get himself out of this nostril-induced torture.

Two Hours Later

It was casually windy now. Charles was right behind his tainted hydrant, still on his determined search for the dog that left his mark. The gusts of wind brushing against his white fur made him look majestic like a statue that stood tall and presentable.

He growled ever so mildly, shifting his own gaze upon horizontal directions. Not a single progress was made, but Charles was willing to make that change by today. "Where are ya, good fer nothin' trespasser." the white hound angrily muttered. "Don't tink yer gettin' by me anytime today..."

On the other paw, Cliff was tired out from using his big nose out on innocent animals that walked back for the past three hours. He was sleeping like a peaceful angel on a wonderful night. As time went on, he unknowingly uttered some words much to grabbing the attention of the hound.

"Salmon..."

"Scratches..."

"Solitaire..."

Charles walked to the snoozing feline before he bopped his head a few times, waking him up in the process like he stopped an alarm clock. Yes, he was indeed still as mad as ever about his situation.

"Get up!" he loudly spat. "Da heck do ya tink yer doin', cat?"

"What does it look like I'm doin', dog?" Cliff retaliated. "I'm takin' a quick nap here! I was tired of helpin' ya sniff out all of dose animals dat walked by, 'n I deserve ta rest!"

Charles was slightly disappointed with the feline's response. Who could blame him, really? The cat does tend to snooze around at random times. It wasn't like the dog never saw this coming. It was evidently an everyday occurrence.

The white hound himself rolled his eyes before landing his gaze upon his precious fire hydrant again. He sniffed at just the top for a brief moment before he spoke to it, as if the object was a son of his own.

"Dont'cha worry, my precious." he uttered. "I promise ya, I ain't gonna stop sniffin' around fer ya until I find out the perpetrator who's wronged da both of us."

The cat irritably sighed. "Good grief," Cliff muttered to himself. "Now he's sweet talkin' ta dat ting. So much fer-"

A small recognizable scent came rolling past the feline's nose, interrupting what he had to say about the dog's valuable possession. It came from the fire hydrant. He took a good whiff in hopes to break down the origin it held within.

Underneath all that filth Charles showered it with, Cliff might have a good lead to where it would've came from, but he wasn't a hundred percent sure about it at the precise moment. Either it was that or the dog was simply playing with him. It definitely wasn't the latter in this case.

"Hey dog," Cliff said, grabbing the dog's attention for a good few seconds. "Ya don't tink da scent right here could be comin' from one of dose humans right?"

"Watch out." Charles commanded, walking towards the worn out feline. He stuffed his nose near the area Cliff pointed out on the fire pump and inhaled at it through his nostrils. He continued to sniff at the area. He might have some sort of clue as to who would mark their territory on his hydrant. Although he was somewhat stumped at the very moment. Finally, there was some bit of progress. They were growing closer to finding out this strange mystery after all.

"I tink I... know dat scent from somewhere before." Charles uttered. "I just can't put da pieces together fer some reason..."

That very same scent would soon travel towards the suspicious Charles. The second that unique musk entered the hound's nostrils, it struck an immediate reaction in him.

"Wait a minute!" Charles spat. He sniffed at the scent, albeit more frantic than usual. A small shred of connection finally managed to piece itself together. He could finally solve that puzzle in no time, as long as he let his bloodhound nose do all the communication for him.

Charles was ready to find his culprit. Insistence filled the dog as he sniffed about on the scent he managed to pick up. All that he had to do was let that nose of his lead him to the source of origin.

"I've got da scent, cat!" Charles exclaimed.

Cliff was dumbfounded now. "Really? Ya do?" he asked.

Charles gave the cat a smirk. "Ya bet yer tail I do!" the dog answered before he ran off to find the source of the intruder's musk.

Cliff's curiosity would soon overcome him at some point. Before he could lose sight of the musk sniffing hound, he was quick enough on his paws to follow him from way behind. He wanted to see who was the true offender behind all of this, from making him miss out on his game with Walt to being forced to sniff the rumps of other animals. It was time to get to the bottom of this.

The two animals were in range of the hound's pooch pen now. Charles was still sniffing around, trying to find the source as the scent grew much more stronger to his nostrils. He was close. Real close.

As he looked around, nobody seemed to be around his doghouse. He kept sniffing about as he tried the interior of his home. He stopped sniffing as he made contact with the bum of someone else, much to her somewhat nonplussed reaction to the sudden sensation.

"Whoa there, Charles," a voice said. "Down boy!"

Much to Charles' own surprise as well as Cliff's, the two pets couldn't believe they managed to find the culprit they've been tracking down this entire time.

Lana Loud.

She was in the middle of repainting the interior of his doghouse, only to be stopped by a cold nose. She sat up with her haunches on the grass to talk to the two pets. "If ya wanted ta say hi, you could've just barked ta me, boy." she said.

Charles gazed at the six year old tomboy in the face. His heart felt like it was shattered into pieces as he thought _"I don't believe it... It was... you?!"_ as he felt somewhat betrayed that one of his favorite playmates of all time would wrong him in one of the worst possible ways ever.

He swiftly drooped his ears down and growled at her. _"Why? Why would ya do me like dat?"_ he thought. He played with her, slept at the side of her her bed, he even took the time to give her his bloodhound lessons. After all they've done together, this was how she repaid the heartbroken animal? There was nothing more painful than the feeling of betrayal by one of your best friends in the whole world. Charles was hurt, and fuming. He turned around and walked away from the young child.

Lana was gravely confused. She wanted to find out about his sudden change in his attitude. She could never recalled on the first time Charles had been cross with her. This was serious enough for her to try and break it down.

"Charles, what's the matter?" Lana said walking towards the hurt animal. "Why are ya so mad at me?"

"Oh boy." Cliff quietly muttered before he rolled his eyes. "All 'a dis over some dumb fire hydrant. Da nerve of some dawgs."

Almost immediately after, a hostile Charles would soon lead Lana to his favorite hydrant. There it lay, forever tainted by her filthy ways. The hound couldn't even look at one of his favorite siblings to play with after what she did. It was like it was an unforgivable act that had been served to cause a rift between her and a child's best friend.

As dumb as it may be, it was only a fire hydrant. Nobody would care about who laid their precious signature stink on it or anything. As for Lana's case, Charles took it very personal. It was one of the things that meant a lot to him other than the family he loved to hang out with.

The damage was strong with this one. Lana had wronged her best friend of four years. From this point forward, she was willing enough to do anything to change the dog's angry attitude towards her.

She quietly sighed before she broke the silence. "Look Charles, hear me out, okay?" she said. "I-I had a little too much orange juice this morning and I could barely hold it in while I was outside doing some important work a couple of hours back in the day. I didn't feel like going back to the house to relieve myself so... I just did what I had ta do here when nature called... but I had ta make sure nobody was present..."

Charles rolled his eyes as if Lana was telling a lie she just now made up. Unbeknownst to him, she was being as truthful to him as possible.

"In case ya don't believe me, I'm being completely honest with ya, boy. And besides, I didn't know this was your hydrant... I really didn't. As much as I really mean ever single word that read my lips, I honestly do down in the depths of my beating heart."

The hound had to lighten up a bit. This was one of his favorite sibling to play with, alongside the middle child and the musical rockstar of the bunch. He had to be strong about this. He needed to find it in him to keep that shred of bonding memories he had with the filth-loving child. All of that shouldn't be worth throwing it all away in an instant. She wanted his friendship to prevail as much as he did for both of the parties involved. What he really wanted to find down deep inside, was forgiveness.

"Please, Charles... I'm really sorry about what I did."

In all seriousness, it was all some strange coincidence for the both of them the more they thought about it. This conclusion sounded like it could definitely be justifiable. Abhorrence slowly drained out of Charles as he threw his head down in sorrow, while Cliff joined the two to gaze upon some bit of resolution after going through three or so hours of investigation.

"Or... if that's not enough to get you ta forgive me, How about I promise to throw in double treats for ya at the dinner table from now on?"

The mention of the word treats had the dog perk his head up. He was already willing to take Lana back after a simple apology thanks to a coincidence they both didn't know about. After getting promised twice the amount of treats, he was very exuberant.

Charles elicited some happy whining as ran to the tomboy, jumping right into her arms with a fast wagging tail. The result had Cliff smiling as he was in content. Lana petted Charles on his head. She knew her bonds with the white pup was all to pure to just throw way.

"I knew ya couldn't stay mad at me forever, boy." Lana happily said before Charles swiped his wet tongue up on her face. "Let's go back home and getcha those treats."

As Lana and Charles headed back to their residence. Cliff looked dead on to the readers, asking a piercing question.

"Really, all dat over a fire hydrant?" Cliff asked in confusion.

A voice reached out to Cliff. The angry tone of it all had the feline scared stiff.

"Hey puss!" Walt spat. "How dare you have the nerve to skip out on our game session!"

Cliff's eyes widened as he let out a gasp before Walt came charging swiftly at his head.

 _*MEOW!*_

The cat ran off frantically as he's chased by the hostile yellow bird.

* * *

 **~End~**


	25. Puppy Love

**A/N: Sorry this is late, some things happened.**

 _Story 24: Puppy Love_  
~Suggestion by ChristopherDobelman~

* * *

1:09pm

Ah yes. Valentines day. The one day where people all over Royal Woods can spend time with the crush of their dreams, their boyfriend or girlfriend, husband or wives. Everybody was free to partake in this one of a kind special holiday. The siblings were hoping their passionate affection for their partners would be one to remember for a very long time. If luck was on their side, it could be enough for them to score.

Now then, onward to the possible shenanigans the four family animals could be up to today.

Inside the red pooch pen, Charles gazed upon a picture of a sophisticated poodle. Her hair being floofy had the dog blushing. His tail wagging ever so swiftly. His paced panting being more raucous by the second. Hearts floated all around the pooch's head as he let out a long sigh.

He was in love.

"Ah..." the pup uttered. "Ain't she a beaut?"

The white hound himself continued to stare at his photograph. His little canine heart would always seem to flutter every time he would look upon his dream mate. Puppy eyes would soon start to ensue as he happily whined at it.

Charles faced the reader immediately. "In all my years of bein' a dog in dis family, I've never seen anythin' dis beautiful here in dis good ol' neighborhood." He softly caressed his photo with a gleeful smile. "She's fancy... she's fluffy... allurin' even!" He proceeded to sedately wag his tail once again. "What would make dis day even luckier? If I could just look upon her-"

Suddenly, he was interrupted by a voice calling out to him.

"Hey dog!" Cliff uttered with a smirk, influencing a jump from the startled dog. The animal turned around and gave his unintelligible muttering towards the smiling, frisky feline. "Whatcha doin' dere, pal?" he inquisitively asked.

"Nothin'!" Charles quickly answered, tense filled him gradually as he looked at the cat dead on. "...N-nothin' at all!"

"C'mon, dog. What were ya gazin' upon now?"

Charles scoffed. "Hey, mind yer bidness, would ya? I just told ya it's nothin'."

Cliff rolled his eyes as he responded in a sarcastic manner. "Oookay den... whatever ya say dere, dog." He pretended to walk away, only to remain stationary right on the outside of the doghouse.

Oblivious, Charles returned to looking at the photograph of the pooch of his dreams. His pupils enlarged as he had a feeling that his heart melted. She was out of this world in the mind of a white hound in absolute solitude. It was pretty hard for him not to take his eyes off of her for at least a couple of seconds. The fluffy poodle was on his mind, twenty four seven. He would try anything in the world, just for her. Whether it risked his life or paint a small bit of bad reputation to others. Charles heavily sighed out of affection. He happily whined at his mate as his nose rubbed about the surface of his picture, before he laid his wet lips on the surface.

Cliff could help but take a peek back inside the doghouse. He wasn't surprised at the fact that Charles was still oblivious to his sudden appearance, just behind the mutt himself. As the hound continued to smooch on his picture, the cat let out a snicker. He wasn't trying to be subtle about it at all, he simply didn't give his two cents about it in the least.

His sudden sounds of snickering startled the white hound again, influencing a yelp out of him. He quickly dropped his photograph and shifted his gaze towards the immature feline. Charles growled at him, getting him to put his humor to an abrupt halt.

"Cat, what da heck is da matter wit' youse?" Charles irritably questioned.

"Alright, dog," Cliff retorted. "Dere's really no need for ya ta lie ta me. If it's just another dog yer into, ya don't need ta be secretive about it. We're among pals here after all."

Charles sighed. The cat does have a point. It wasn't like he was doing anything he wasn't supposed to be doing. He figured it couldn't hurt to spill the deets about the dog that stole his heart. He was the key, and she was the lock to the heart.

"Alright, cat." Charles said, blushing overtime. He presented the picture to Cliff, much to his delight. "Dis pup here is da love of my life. Her name's Cathy. She's a fine lookin' poodle, don'tcha tink?"

Cliff glanced upon his photograph that was somewhat covered in his drool. While he thought his choice of breed seemed to be fitting for his tastes, he instead wanted to comment about the wetness on his picture.

"I can tell, ya must've been droolin' about her." Cliff replied. "Also, dat's a bit gross, if ya ask me."

Charles was confused. "Huh? How?" He looked upon his moist picture. He seemed understood what the cat was referring to. "Ah." he uttered to himself, shaking off the excess saliva off the picture. "Yeah, I can agree wit' ya dere, cat."

The hound blushed again, hugging his picture as if it was a stuffed animal a child would snooze with. "She means everythin' ta me!" he said, wagging his tail again. "My heart has never felt like dis towards anybody I've ever known!" Geo and Walt joined Cliff to his side as Charles explained about his crush. It was to the point where it was at least intriguing enough for them to stay and join in on the conversation. "...Not countin' our unconditioned affection towards dose humans in our family but dis one right here... she takes da cake!"

"Aww, this is so sweet!" Geo complimented.

"Hmph. Lucky you." Walt added with a little irritation.

Charles elicited a small, jumpy reaction upon noticing the bird and the hamster. "Whoa! What are you two doin' here?" he asked.

Geo and Walt shared a glance. "We were wondering where you guys were so we looked around for you." Walt answered.

"And then, we heard some chatter coming from outside," Geo added. "At first, we thought the cat was messing around with you, but it turns out he's interested about your little friend you have there in your furry paws."

"As do we." Walt concluded.

Charles glared at them all. So much for his own privacy, thanks to his secretive self. Ever since he inadvertently showed his pals a picture of his hydrant and the poodle back then, he wasn't completely sure how to explain himself. To his own surprise however, none of them apparently came to him about it or mentioned it since. But now, it couldn't hurt to open up to his pals more, given his sweet and docile nature.

"Me 'n my big, droolin' mouth." Charles unintelligibly muttered to himself before he loosened his grip on his photo, letting it fall to the dry grass.

The cat of the group had grown curious as the dog explained about the poodle. "So dog, whatcha gonna do ta win dis heart 'a hers?" he asked, followed by a smile from Geo and Walt.

The hound gulped before he blushed. He was gravely stumped on any moves for his sweet damsel of a canine. He scratched as his head, looking down at the grass in front of him. "I uh... I have no idea, ta be honest wit' youse." he shamefully uttered in response. "I've never gotten anywhere near her before. I'm... a little uneasy ta try 'n greet her." He rubbed vertically at his arm. "What am I gonna do, ya guys?"

Cliff, Geo, and Walt shared a glance. The three felt a little bad for their canine pal. They wanted to offer any kind of support they can to construct Charles' shy confidence. As they looked back at the hound with a confident look, they all shared a wink with him.

"Don't worry, dog." Cliff said.

"We'll help you in any possible way we can!" Geo happily added.

"You owe me if this turns out to be a waste of our time." Walt warned.

"Aw, thanks pals," Charles said. "I honestly dunno what I'd do without ya."

* * *

Upstairs in the bathroom, the sound of a blowing hairdryer ensued as a moist Charles chomped at the air blowing into his gaping mouth. "Alright dere, dog." Cliff said. "If ya really want ta make a good impression on dis chick, yer gonna hafta whip up some lines."

"Huh? Lines?" Charles curiously uttered. "I'm pretty sure dat's a turn off fer most livin' bein's nowadays."

"Well dese lines will definitely turn her light switch on, pal." Cliff reassured. "Deys's gonna be real clever, and dey'll work on just about everybody!"

Charles sighed as the sound of the hairdryer slowly got quiet. "If ya say so, cat." he said.

"Great!" Cliff uttered in response. "First off, I'm gonna introduce ya ta one of my favorite accents. It'll make anything ya say sound amusin'."

Curiosity ensued for the canine. "Okay, what is it?"

Cliff was ready to answer his question. The cat grew a bit exuberant as he cleared his throat. His dialogue shifted to another language, much to Charles' baffled reaction.

"Comment fais-tu mon amour?" the feline spoke.

Charles was completely puzzled. "What?"

The cat stated loud and proud. "Je parle français! L'obtenez-vous jusqu'à présent?"

Charles had no idea how to respond. He leisurely moved his head horizontally, much to Cliff's shred of confusion. "Ya could at least tell me exactly what yer sayin' so this ain't as awkward than it already is..?"

Cliff muttered to himself. "Wow..." He turned back to the dog. "Alright den, dog. I'll help decipher dis fer ya." He cleared his throat once again. "How do ya do, my love? Comment fais-tu mon amour?"

Charles may have a hard time discerning a new language but soon enough, he will. Just one step at a time was all he needed to become more competent about it. "Uh... Comment... fais-tu ...m-mon amour?" he tried to pronounce to no avail. It sounded a little rusty for the cat but at least it was good enough to exceed his effort.

"Eh, good enough!" he commented. "Now, try dis one, I'll even say it real slow fer ya. Do ya want ta spend time wit' me? Voulez-vous passer du temps avec moi?"

Charles gulped. He attempted to the best of his ability to get his pronunciation as par as he could. "I... V-voolee-voo passeer... do tar evec mwa?"

Cliff stood silent for a brief moment. He thought about his accuracy to the next line he taught him before it wasn't as bad as he thought. He looked at the reader as he gave off a quick shrug. It was a nice accurate pronunciation, at least for the cat.

"Great!" he replied. "I tink yer gettin' da hang 'a dis."

"Wow, really?" Charles curiously questioned.

"Yeah, dog. I can see dat special mate 'o yers shower her love fer ya like a delicious coconut cream pie already!"

Charles was stunned as his face turned to a shade of pink for a brief moment. He wasn't sure what to say about his compliment at first. "O-oh..."

* * *

30 Minutes Later

The nervous pup was downstairs in the kitchen. His attire now contained a spotted bow tie, guaranteed to have a couple of animals stare. Walt held a bouquet of flowers in his stubby feet. The yellow avian had an intent that they wanted the dog to try an alternate approach. The bird extracted a flower from to bouquet and offered it to Charles, in order to ensue a quick practice.

"Alright, dog." Walt uttered. "You're going to simply approach her with these flowers in your mouth."

Charles grabbed the flower from the bird. "Okay den." he answered. "...And I just give dese ta her, I'm assumin'."

Walt winked. "Look who's catching on fast."

"Huh. Pretty simple enough fer me."

Geo walked up to the colorless hound with a box of chocolates. He figured it would be another sweet gift to add to help Charles make a good impression to her. What could go wrong?

"What's even better than flowers?" Geo said. "How about a box of chocolates?"

The dog's eyes widened quicker than an open chest. His immediate reaction was to spit out the flower he had in his mouth and glare at the innocent and insensitive hamster, along with Walt. Geo was confused, he had no idea what would provoke his sudden change in attitude.

"Are ya crazy, Ham?" Charles spat. "I can't give her dose!"

The hamster slightly tilted his little head. "Huh? Doesn't everybody give chocolates to each other on a day like today?"

Charles flipped the box without even a hassle. "Yes, but somethin' like chocolate ain't one of 'em fer us dogs!"

"You want him to get her sick?" Walt irritably questioned, causing Geo to break a sweat.

"What? No way!" the hamster panicked. "I didn't know dogs can't scarf down this stuff!"

"Neither can you, Ham." Charles sincerely added.

Before the hamster fell flat on his back, he uttered "Wha..?"

The hound picked the flower back up again. Time for them to resume their session. Walt shifted his angered gaze upon the dog as he commanded him on what to do next. "Anyway, about the flower, you can't go wrong with anything red, pink or white. I prefer yellow myself but red's honestly a close second to me. Just give those to her and I'm pretty sure she'll want to be with you."

"Oh, thanks bird." Charles replied. "I'm sure dis'll work out great!"

The hound wrested the bouquet of flowers. He folded it into his arms as if it was a doll. His confidence would slowly start decreasing as he can't stop thinking about how he would approach the poodle later on today. "Great gosh," he said, wagging his tail as he elicited a shade of pink on his face. Hearts floated all around the lovey-dovey canine as if he was deep in the name of love. "I can't believe dis is all happenin' so fast... I-I don't even know where ta begin.

"Alright, relax there love hound," Geo uttered. "You don't have to be nervous about anything. It's not like you're proposing to this dog your dreams. I'm pretty sure if you stay confident through all of this, you've got this in the bag."

Charles had to collect himself for a moment. He figured that the hamster had a point. "Yer right. I can do dis." He gulped not long after. He just had a terrible thought about all the preparation Cliff, Geo and Walt have been sending the dog's way. His ears flopped as if he was in great fear of the possible result. "What if all 'a dis don't work? I don't wanna make this awkward whenever I approach my pooch..."

"Oh, that is such quitter talk, dog!" Walt spat. "You can't let one bad little thought stop you from making that lovey dream of yours come true. You take action to make things happen!"

"Trust us, we promise you that we're just trying to help guide you to a wonderful life." Geo added. "This is what us pals are for after all! We can solve anything in a snap! Cause we've got the power!"

Geo concluded his input with a snap. Those array of words lifted the spirits of the nervous hound. In all seriousness, the yellow avian and the brown hamster do have a point, given their good intelligence with their advice. He set the bouquet down before he straightened his bow tie. Confidence filled the dog as he squinted his eyes and shared a good smirk towards the two pets with determination.

It's show time.

"Faisons le." Charles uttered.

His sudden change of language caught both Geo and Walt off-guard. The two shared a baffled glance before they looked back at the dog.

"What?" Walt said.

"What does that mean?" Geo added.

"...Let's do dis." Charles spat, before Cliff rolled into the kitchen with a radio with a few choice songs at the ready. He figured there was one thing missing to really complete the mood of his future approach.

"Well, I guess now's a good time ta add some romantic music ta fill da void." the cat said, playing a slow jam filled with violins.

* * *

10 Minutes Later

The four Loud pets were now waiting just outside of the front porch, with the radio and the bouquet of flowers at the ready. They all looked around for the poodle that matched the photograph, to which belonged to Charles. Inside the love-stricken hound's mind was filled with a complicated mix between confidence, nervousness and being quite bashful. Whatever the case may be for him, he wasn't willing to let conflict step in and mess things up for him. All he was really afraid of was getting jilted out of the blue. He had to believe in himself. No matter what happens in the next few minutes, he was willing enough to take that chance.

"Are ya guys sure dis stuff's gonna work?" Charles asked the three pets.

"Well, when has it not?" Cliff nervously answered, but who was he to judge? This was literally the first time the three pets helped them out with all sorts of their individual advice.

"You've got this, dog!" Geo cheered.

"Just remember what we've went though and it shouldn't be a problem." Walt added.

"Man, I hope you pals are right," Charles timidly uttered. His face blushed again, looking down at the pavement just thinking about the fluffy pooch. "Oh, sweet Cathy. What I wouldn't do ta win her over. I love her so much..."

Cliff, Geo and Walt shared an awkward glance. One of them set their sight on a passing animal. Wouldn't they know it, it was the dog that Charles had been talking about all afternoon.

Cathy the poodle, strutting down the sidewalk as if she was on stage showing off for an audience. Her fresh clean appearance had Charles' eyes turn into red, beating hearts. He was devoted, nervous, and for once had his moist tongue roll out of his gaping mouth. It all happened so fast. It was almost like chance alone.

"It's her!" he thought. "It's really her! W-walkin' down da sidewalk!"

"Wow, she's much more beautiful in person." Geo complimented.

"Ya got dat right." Cliff added.

"She's okay..." Walt concluded.

"Dis is it, ya guys." Charles said. "I-it's time ta score me a good mate."

As the poodle approached closer to the Loud residence, it was time for the colorless hound to make his move. He gulped for a small beat before he grabbed the flowers by mouth. Immediately after, he stepped down from the porch, walking closer to his dream. The others silently cheered the dog on as if he was about to win a race before Cliff turned on some romantic music to play in the background.

"Go get 'er, dog!" Cliff heartily cried.

"You can do it!" Geo added.

"You still owe me if this doesn't work out!" Walt concluded.

Charles was getting closer each step he took. Cathy still strutted down the sidewalk without a single care, that is, until she was stopped by the love-struck hound. He stepped right in front oh her trail, his face turning more pinkish than usual as he gave the pooch an awkward smile.

She was somewhat dazed about his sudden appearance. Curiosity filled the female pooch as she wondered what Charles was planning to do next. She tilted her head as she let out a subtle whine.

Charles set the bouquet down in front of her. Cathy approached the flowers to give them a little sniff. As she continued to savor the fragrance, the white hound let out a small sigh before the silence was inevitably shattered. "Eh... B-bonjour... mon amour," he said, much to the pooch's nonplussed reaction. His amateurish french accent made her head perk up. Not only that, it even put a shade of pink on her face.

"O-oh..." she uttered. "Such fancy talk..."

It was somehow working, despite the face that none of the pets knew anything about her interests. It was like getting lucky at a lottery drawing. Charles' move so far wasn't as awkward as he first thought. All he had to do was not lose any steam from this point onward.

He sheepishly smiled as he gave a chuckle. Confidence filled him after her surprised reaction. "J'aime ta... fourrure, ça te va bien!"

Cathy's heart felt like it was melting ever so timely. It turns out, she did have a thing for anyone that's into the french culture. This could be the perfect dog for Charles. This was a lucky shot that he's been offered now, and he was going to take it without any regard whatsoever.

She giggled. "Well, thank you for that... divine compliment."

Satisfaction filled Cliff as he watched the move unfold with a smile. It was almost like raising a baby bird for a while, finally able to soar on it's own long after. He could never be any happier than this.

"You really taught him well with this fancy language, cat." Walt said.

"I know I did." Cliff responded.

Charles was at the final inning of his approach. He had a feeling it was time to reel her in and take it home. "Je suis... tombé amoureux de toi d-depuis que je t'ai regardé." he confidently said as Cathy smirked at him. "S'il vous plaît, v-voulez-vous passer cette journée avec moi..?"

The hound closed his eyes. His fancy sounding question alone had Cathy amazed. She literally had no idea what to do from there. She wanted to respond to his question badly, but had no idea how to put it. If only it was that easy to answer things like that in a way that pleases someone or let them down as nicely as possible... the better the results would be in the long run.

She smirked. "You can stop with the fake acting there, you." she said, catching Charles off-guard as he threw his head down slightly. "You don't have to talk french to leave an impression on me... I already have some kind of interest in you. Besides, there's nothing more important than just being yourself. That's all that matters, boy." She approached Charles up to his face before her lips passed on to his. Caught by surprise, the white hound widened his eyes frantically. He literally did not see this one coming at all.

The rest of the three pets silently elicited a gasp. Home run. Score. Mission complete. Who's to say that he actually got lucky? To which case, it'd be true, all by chance alone. Usually, it'll take several other dogs along the way until he would find the perfect one. Charles' case was completely different.

As her kissing lasted longer and longer, the hound himself went with it. His eyes leisurely closed shut as he sat there to let this all sink in his mind. His tail wagged frantically as his face slowly turned less red that it was before. He did it. He knew he could.

As the two pulled apart from each other, Charles heart fluttered. His eyed returned back to hearts as he flapped his paws, hovering in the air for a short time. "Woo-hoo!" he uttered. "Dat... was... a-amazin'."

"Oh yeah?" she said with a blissful smile. "I've got much more waiting for you down at the park." She grabbed the bouquet before she turned around. Her floofy tail flicked upwards as it brushed up against Charles' chin before she strutted once again in the distance. "Don't wait up."

Charles stood there quietly. His tail moved around as he observed her walk away to the aforementioned destination. He smiled before he sighed, laying a paw on his forehead as he fell flat on his back on the concrete pavement.

"Wowsers." he uttered. "Dat turned out a lot bettuh than I thought!"

The rest of the pets zipped towards the accomplished pooch. "Ya did it, dog!" Cliff commented.

"Not bad for a canine like you." Walt added.

"How do you feel?" Geo asked, much to his curiosity.

Charles irises grew, softly shaking in excitement. "Like a man... a brave man." he answered.

The hamster was confused. "But you're a dog."

"Nice understatement, Ham."

Charles got back up on his feet. The next thing on his mind was to gleefully shake the paws and wings of his fellow pals. For their positive vibes and confident approach techniques, they all deserved it.

"Thank y'all so much fer all da help, pals." he said.

"Hey! Watch the wing, dog!" Walt spat.

"Sorry, 'bout dat."

"What can we say?" Cliff uttered. "Dis is what us good pals are for, right?"

Unanimously, the four pets cheered "Yeah!" in great delight. Nobody was wrong here. They all had each other's backs no matter what kind of silly conflict or objective life had to throw at them. Heck, they're able to handle a house of thirteen human citizens for years on board.

Not long after, a fancy looking female cat, a red avian, as well as a hamster strolled past the four pets. Immediately, the reactions of Cliff, Geo and Walt had their gaze shift into hearts. Their faces gaining a shade of pink as they gave out a devoted smile. It all happened without any given warning. Charles was confused as to what was happening now. Could they be in the same state the dog was in much earlier today? Signs would be directly pointing to yes in this case.

"Wowee! I've never seen a greater puss like dat in my life!" Cliff uttered before sharing a sigh.

"Wow. The color of red... she's definitely my type." Walt neutrally said.

"A cute hamster like her has my full attention..." Geo concluded.

Yep. They were in love. Charles gulped.

"Well... I uh... hafta go meet up wit' my girl at da park." the hound said, slowly backing away from his love-stricken companions. "I actually forgot ta uh... sniff her! Dat's it!" He awkwardly smiled at the three animals before he zipped off to catch Cathy at the park.

It was just Cliff, Geo and Walt now. Hearts floated all around them as their love filters ensued. They thought about how they were going to impress their sudden crushes they had. They all placed their paws on their forehead, sighing together in unison before they all fell flat on their backs.

Here we go again.

* * *

 **~End~**


	26. Go Dog, Go!

_Story 25: Go Dog, Go!_

* * *

12:30pm

It's a somewhat humid day down the good neighborhood of Royal Woods. A sunny day, almost at the end of the week with little to no chance of any precipitation from the white clouds above. The siblings always have to survive hours of school at a time like this. They're only about halfway finished by now. Who's to say that they're at their lunch period at this precise moment? Chances are, it could be accurate. They couldn't wait to get back home to enjoy another weekend to do whatever their mind desired.

To fill in the empty void for their remaining hours of solitude, the four pets sat in front of the television. They were all engaged in a video game based on formula drag racing. Charles and Cliff tampered around with their respective controllers as they raced one another to be the first to reach the finish line. It's the final lap, the homestretch. The dog was in the lead by a few feet while the cat slowly crept up from behind.

"Ya tink dat first place trophy's gonna be yers, ya got another ting comin'!" Cliff spat.

"Den bring it, cat," Charles dared. "Ya got nothin' on yer tail dat's gonna turn dis game around!"

Walt was on the cat's side while Geo was on the dog's side. They both cheered the two animals on as they approached closer to the finish line.

"Come on, cat," Walt uttered. "Put that mutt in the dust!"

"You can do this, dog," Geo said. "Nothing can stop you now!"

The two pets were neck and neck. Their vehicle's accelerators were at full speed as the two shared a glare towards their rival. Almost there and...

 _ ***ZOOM***_

Charles managed to win the racing match by a nose. Several unique reactions from all parties started to ensue from the final result.

"Aroo! Eat it, cat!" Charles taunted.

Cliff threw his controller at the carpet. "Dis game is rigged!" he spat.

"I'm so mad right now." Walt added.

"Says the bird with the biggest understatement ever!" Geo said, influencing Walt to glare at the hamster. "That was a close one!"

The brown hamster and the dog shared a high five for their best efforts put together to win their match. Charles set his controller down to the side. He figured rubbing it in the cat's face would be enough after taunt after taunt was thrown around. Eyes gazing towards the salty feline, he asked, "Dat was a good round, huh cat?"

Cliff smirked before he shifted towards the dog. "Hmph. Ya tink yer so good at dis drivin' ting, why don'tcha do dat fer real?" he suggested.

"Now, what are ya drivin' at wit' dis?"

"I'm sayin', drive a real vehicle fer once in yer lifespan."

Geo and Walt shared a glance. They weren't a hundred percent sure with the cat's little suggestion. Who knows? The two thought it could be fun. Instead of stepping in, being the voice of reason once again like they usually do, they just sat back and let this entire situation unfold.

Charles scoffed. "Yer crazy, cat." he answered. "Why would I wanna do somethin' like dat?"

"What's dat matter, mutt?" Cliff taunted. "Ya chicken? A wuss? From the looks of it, yer like a little-"

Geo gulped while Walt attempted to contaminate his silent snickering. Getting called out like that made Charles raucously growl towards him.

"I ain't none 'a dose tings!" the pup retorted. He wasn't willing to let anything taint his current status at this precise moment. Especially from a snarky black cat like Cliff himself. He wanted to prove him wrong, one way or another.

"When I get my paws on da keys to da car, I'll show you who's da wuss in dis house, puss."

Not long after the dog delivered his daring rebuttal to the prissy cat, the front door opened wide. Lynn Sr. and Rita returned from doing couple bit of errands as well as a car wash. The first thing they observed was just the pets sitting there, staring at the two human beings as if they were complete strangers.

"Hey Charles, Cliff, Geo, Walt." the father of the house uttered, setting his keys to the family van down next to the television stand. "I've got the good stuff! I'll be in the kitchen unpacking!"

"Wait a sec." Rita uttered to her husband. Before the father could move another inch to the kitchen interior, she pulled a can from one of the bags. It was a brand new air freshener she was waiting to try out. "I can't wait to try this new black ice air freshener blend out on all the rooms. Especially Lana and Lola's bedroom. They really, really need it. It's like a pig pen in there."

She sprayed the freshener out, intent to test it on the living room first before she would soon ascend the staircase. The aroma spread around the longer she pressed down on the tip. "Isn't this a nice selection that I decided to go with at the last minute?" she asked.

The freshener was in range with the four pets. Its scent crossing paths with their sensitive nostrils, causing them sans Geo to widen their eyes in aghast. "I dunno honey, is it?" the father responded.

Charles, Cliff, even Walt tried to waft the scent away. It was no use to them. The spray continued to overbear their sense of smell before the three just decided to book it to the dining room, leaving the hamster in solitude on the couch.

"I think so?" Rita reassured. "Last time I heard, it was one of the more popular fresheners they had on the market." She stopped spraying the living room now. "I think this is a good fragrance. Now to tackle those bedrooms." She made her way up the stairs with nothing more to add to the subject.

"Alright, hun!" the father concluded as he began to unpack his items.

Charles, Cliff, and Walt popped their heads back into the living room. Their eyes gazing upon the keys to Vanzilla on the television stand. As their eyes shook softly in excitement, Cliff shifted his sights on the white hound with a smirk and a glare. This was their chance. Who knows when it'll occur again?

"Well?" Cliff uttered.

Charles took a big gulp. He stared directly at the shining, gleaming vehicle keys for a brief moment. His thought bubble consisted of him driving down Ketcham Park with a pair of shades on his face as several other animals watched in awe. The dog pulled his shades down, winking at the dogs with a smile. _"Ya pups up fer da ride of yer life?" he said._

Without any regard after his thought bubble poofed, the dog figured what the heck. He walked up to the TV stand and swiped the keys from it.

* * *

A few minutes later, the pets sans Geo were outside next to Vanzilla, with the driver door left halfway open. Charles acted nervous in front of his two companions as he started to jiggle his feet for a brief moment. He looked over to Cliff and Walt before breaking the silence.

"A-are ya sure 'bout dis, cat?" the hound anxiously uttered.

"I'm a hundred percent sure 'bout dis, dog." Cliff answered. "It's da only way ta prove yer skills dat ya probably don't have."

"Just so you two know, as much as this seems interesting to see with my own eyes, I don't want any part of this." Walt added.

"Okay den, go on 'n miss out on all da fun we're 'bout ta have." Cliff said to Walt.

"W-we?" Charles said, putting his gaze upon the cat. "I mean... yeah! All da fun dat's gonna go down!" He put a paw around his feline companion.

"Wouldn't ya know it, pal." Cliff uttered before Walt flew off to do whatever with his time. "When we hit over eighty-eight miles an hour, yer gonna see some serious chiz." He hopped in the van. "Now let's get dis over wit' 'n hop on in dis here... v-van. Dat's right. I tink."

And with that, Charles did without a second to hesitate.

Checking their surroundings, they made sure nobody was batting an eye toward the two. Charles inserted the key in the ignition and turned it on. Vroom went the engine. Oh dear.

"Alright, I'll be down here, workin' the gas 'n the brake panels, since we both know ya can't reach 'em." Cliff said looking up to the anxious pup. That way, they could take full control the van.

"Okay den..." Charles replied before he gulped once more. "At least listen out fer when I tell ya to punch it or brake."

"Ya ain't gotta tell me twice..."

The nervous white hound looked at the gears located next to the steering wheel. Growing a little confident not long after, he shifted the gears from park to reverse before giving a command the feline.

"Hit da gas, cat." Charles spat. The cat did so immediately, only for the van to quickly run into the back of some bushes across the street. "Stop!" He turned the wheel, intending to get it back on the road before he altered the gear to drive. He growled a brief moment fore he said, "Let's roll."

The feline pressed down on the gas panel as Vanzilla was moving again. Making a right turn, the driver's door slammed shut as it approached back on the road. Finally, the two were getting somewhere.

What crazy antics will ensue for the two pets on the road ahead? Was Cliff that determined to prove his daring point about Charles' skills? Will they even make it back with the vehicle still intact after taking it out? There was only one way to find out. Life in the Loud house is indeed a huge mystery.

"I feel da need fer somethin' dog." Cliff said.

Charles raised a brow. Although he may be a bit anxious to see where the cat was going, his curiosity soon overcame his mind. "W-what?" he said.

Cliff squinted his eyes in determination. "Da need. Fer speed!" He pressed down on the gas a bit more. The van's speed reaching well over the speed limit of the neighborhood, which was twenty five. Being caught way off guard by the sudden change in speed, Charles started swerving. He yelped as he came close to hitting any stationary vehicles and objects.

"What da heck do ya tink yer doin', cat?!" he exclaimed.

Cliff looked up to the dog. "Ya said yer good at dis drivin' ting!" he said. "What are ya complainin' fer?"

"I did say dat, but-"

The dog accidentally swerved on the sidewalk now. He ran over a couple of garbage bins, spilling the contents over the ground. Anger filled him by a tad, shifting his eyes down on the feline as he dangerously let his paws off the wheel. "Oh great! Ya made me knock over some trash bins!"

Cliff jumped a bit, taking notice of the dog looking down at him. "Dog, put yer eyes back on da road!"

Charles obeyed instantly, grabbing the wheel again. "Yipe!"

By now, they were nowhere in the neighborhood anymore. Veering right off the road, they ran right into Liam's farm, bursting through without a care. As his animals were let loose on the field, Liam came out to scold the out of control vehicle, shaking his fist.

"Yer gonna pay for this, ya hooligans!" he shouted at the top of his lungs.

His beloved pig was in the vehicle with the two now in the passenger's seat. She oinked to them in complete shock.

"We stole somebody's mud lovin' pig?!" Cliff uttered anxiously.

"Scuse you, the name's Virginia, hun." the pig retorted before oinking.

"Great Scott," Charles uttered. "I dunno if I can keep doin' this!"

Not long after after they returned back on the road, the hound unintentionally ran over a speed bump during swift speeds. The unexpected altitude of the vehicle had the animals spring in midair, hitting the top of the vehicle before landing back into their same positions as before.

They were temporarily dizzy for a moment. Losing control of the vehicle for the second time, it veered off the road again. They passed by a police car on high alert before it finally got back on the road. The man in blue had never seen something like this for months. He was ready for yet another exciting chase to catch their lawbreaker and possibly ticket or jail them.

"This is my favorite part of being in the force." the man said, before he followed Vanzilla without a second to spare.

It was a high speed chase now. The sound of blaring sirens made the animals hearts race. After the three collected themselves, Charles quickly glanced over to the mirror to spot a squad car about to get hot on their tails.

"Hey! Pull your vehicle over, right now!" The cop commanded.

The hound let out a quick gasp. "Cheese it, it's da fuzz!" he loudly uttered.

"Aw no," Cliff reacted. "What is dis? A seventies show?"

Panicking, Charles commanded to the cat, "Hurry, hit da gas!"

And so, Cliff did. As they sped down the road in a desperate attempt to get away from the squad car, the dog tried his absolute best not to run into anything that's in their way. Out of the blue, a foul stench spread across the van's interior as it infiltrated Charles' nostrils. Nauseated, the hound wafted the air before glancing towards the feline for a brief moment. He figured that he was the one responsible for it's sudden odor.

"I didn't mean literally, cat!" he said.

"How dare ya point yer accusation on me!" Cliff retorted, crossing his paws. "I'm personally offended."

"I'm sorry," Virginia shamelessly admitted. "It happens when I'm scared..."

The two pets were completely aghast. "Did ya really just..." Cliff said, before the pig elicited a sheepish smile, complete with a shade of red on her face.

"Yer disgustin' dere, pig." Charles said.

Cliff smirked. "Dis comin' from da dog dat once peed in dis van?"

That snarky comment alone had Charles growling and Virginia smiling to him in response. "If this took place in the streets, you'd rack up to about two stars by now." the pig commented, trembling in fear.

To no avail, the cop car was still behind them. Determined to catch his criminal, the man tried one of his tactics he learned in the force to stop their runaway vehicle.

Pitting.

As the car pulled up to the side of Vanzilla, Charles was already scared out of his mind. "Did you not hear me? I said, pull over!" the cop shouted. The tip of his car rammed into the side of the van, prompting Charles to temporarily lose control of the vehicle. Swerving ensued as he tried to get control back. The more the cop pushed into the van, Charles had to come up with a counter plan.

"Brake!" the dog shouted, turning the wheel. As the vehicle turned around, The cop car veered off the road, crashing into a tree just ahead. The unexpected result of the animals outwitting a cop car had painted a surprising smile on their faces.

They couldn't believe that just happened. Normally, it would be the other way around but this one turned out to be an interesting exception. The animals cheered from this before they returned to getting back to their somewhat interesting joyride.

"I'm surprised dat turned out well." Charles said while the other two animals nodded in agreement. Determined, he sent another command to Cliff before he threw on some shades he found in the vehicle. "Gas!"

Vroom went Vanzilla, once again, zipping away from the scene. The cop was down, but he wasn't ready to let whoever it was get away. Determined, he called to the rest of the force.

"Officer down... c-calling in for backup..."

* * *

1:00pm

About a half hour into the day, the animals were at the Burpin' Burger joint drive thru. As the hound pulled up to the menu board just outside the building, he shouted another command. "Brake!"

A voice reached out to Charles over the intercom. "Welcome, and thank you for choosing Burpin' Burger today," a worker said. "What can I get for you?"

The hound looked to the cat and the pig. "Ya guys want somethin'?"

"I'll take a nine, hound." Virginia requested.

"Gimme whatever da pig's havin'." Cliff added.

The pig placed her hooves on her hips. "Again, the name's Virginia!"

Charles turned to the intercom and started his order, loud and clear. "I'll have two number nines... a number six wit' sum dip. A number seven, two number fives, extra bacon, and a large water!"

Cliff shook his head as he rolled his eyes. "Dere's somethin' not right about dat mutt..." he thought, before he let out a sigh.

"That racks up to thirty five dollars and forty two cents," the worker said. "Please pull forward."

As the employee himself grabs the animals' bags of grub, waiting right at the window. Vanzilla pulled right next to it by chance. The sight of seeing only a dog and a pig in the vehicle had the employee really fazed. He threw the bags into the van as the dog handed the cash to the employee before Cliff stepped on the gas yet again as the vehicle drove off.

The man rubbed his head. He felt like this was some sort of hallucination he'd been experiencing just now. "N-now I _have_ seen everything..."

Not a moment soon after, the pets were back on the road, chowing down on their grub.

"Make that three stars." Virginia said.

"Hmph. Ya got dat right." Cliff agreed. "And I hafta say dere, dog. I completely underestimated ya fer a sec dere. I thought you couldn't prove ta me that you couldn't drive a real vehicle like dis, but turns out dat I was-"

"Gas!" Charles commanded, growling at something that grabbed his sights. Speeding up, he made a slight turn next to the Green Mile Pet Sanctuary.

Cliff gulped. "What are ya doin' up dere?"

"Somethin' dat we shoulda done a long time ago!"

Before Cliff and Virginia could let out a terrified squeal and a meow, the van struck the side of the building, breaking into the interior, bursting out the other side. There was nothing more satisfying to the white hound as several of his kind was finally able to roam free from the terrible place. Happy barking and howling ensued as they all scattered around the premises.

Not only that, they managed to pick up a quarter dozen new dogs and some cats along in the van. Even though they have no amount of knowledge they gathered from one another, they still felt the nerve to give Charles credit for their breakout.

"That... was... awesome!" the three dogs said simultaneously.

"Ya bet yer tail it was." Charles replied, giving the three pups a wink.

"And that makes four." Virginia said.

"Thanks so much!"

Checking the time in the vehicle as it currently read ten minutes to one thirty in the afternoon, Charles panicked. They had half an hour left before Rita and senior Lynn uses the van to pick up their kids from school.

"Ruh-roh." the dog exclaimed. "We've gotta get back home, cat!"

"Why, what's goin' on now?" Cliff curiously asked.

"Parents, picking up kids! School! We don't have much time!"

"Ya want me ta step on da gas?"

"Ya obviously know da answer ta dat! Let's get a move on!"

Speeding down the road again, the van crossed paths with a group of people called the Juegos and the Valests. Small amount of trash talk later, both parties were about to square up with one another as they approached closer. As Vanzilla almost ran into one of the dudes, the leader instantly lost it.

"Aye, y'all trippin' there, jerks!" Juego spat, pulling out his paintball gun as the rest would soon follow. Their group shot their red paintball ammo at the van nonstop, chasing them down before the Valest group did the same thing. "Y'all insane!" Valest added. "Take that!"

Anxiousness filled the animals inside the speeding vehicle as it was currently being pelted with paintballs. Half of them started yelping as multiple sounds of the impact hit the exterior.

"Are dey shootin' at us?!" Cliff nervously said, all shook up.

"Yeah!" a few animal passengers in the back uttered.

Charles looked at the mirrors. He growled at the red splatters on the vehicle. "Dere goes dat brand new paint job..."

"What do we do, dog?!" Virginia said to the designated driver. "Five stars by the way."

"Dere on foot ya guys," Charles answered with tranquil fear. "It's gonna be a good chance dey'll never catch us."

The pelting finally died down now. Cliff had to think to himself for a bit as he was partially responsible for all the events that led to this result. He felt so bad. Because of him, there's going to be a good chance of getting kicked out into the streets. If there was a chance that he could make that apology towards the dog, now wasn't the time.

He sighed.

"If only we had just a bit more time, we could take dis baby to da car wash." Charles said. "But I'm sure we've got enough stuff at da house ta pull dis off!"

By chance alone, the dog had no choice but to make a change of plans with the time he had left to get back to the house. As if one cop car wasn't bad enough for them to handle, he was facing three more cop cars hot on his tail. Blaring sirens ensued as they followed the tainted van on the road. They were determined to not let the pets out of their sights this time.

Looking through the rear view window, Charles growled. "Ya got ta be kiddin' me right now." he irritably said.

"This again?!" Virginia exclaimed.

"Ay carumba, we can't seem ta catch a break today!" Cliff spat.

"Step on it!" Charles commanded.

Picking up speed, it looked like they were going to outrun the law once again. The hound himself thought if the first one happened to be a cinch to them, this round wouldn't be any different. Turns out, he would be totally wrong. The two cop cars picked up the pace, determined to catch the van no matter what it takes. What lives, or anything in the town would be risked.

Coming up towards an intersection with a yellow light, getting ready to switch to red, Virginia and the strays start to yelp in fear.

"Somebody do somethin'!"

"Cat, don'tcha stop!" Charles said.

"Just how crazy are ya?!" the cat said.

Squinting his eyes, filling up on determination, the hound spat, "...Dis crazy!"

There was no turning back from there. The dog could barely even think. As the van approached closer to an intersection, it surprisingly passed right through, just before the light changed to red. The cops had no choice but to abruptly throw on their breaks as cars were moving from the intersection. They had no choice but to wait this out.

"Dang it." a cop said. "I swear on my soul, before this day is over, we apprehend that sick son of a lawbreaking chump."

* * *

1:50pm

With just a few minutes left to spare, they were able to arrive back into the neighborhood of Royal Woods. Still rushing in at high speeds, the dog looked around for the Loud house.

"Where is it? Where is it?" he uttered to himself before the house he searched for was finally in range. He gasped in excitement upon seeing it with his own eyes. "Dere it is!"

After making a sharp turn into the driveway, Charles shouted out one final command for the cat to input. "Brake!"

Vanzilla stopped abruptly, throwing everybody in the van into the windshields in front of them. A few blinks later, they all slid down to the floor.

They were finally home, but they had another problem to take care of. Vanzilla was covered in red, several dents made to the front of the vehicle, and even all the animals they picked up from their joyride. It was time for the animals to work together and fix up the vehicle to look good as new, once again. They all rushed in the garage and got the plunger, hose and the towels and got down to work.

With just three minutes left, the animals all wiped the vehicle down, after a good, and thorough rinse job. Charles and Cliff took care of the rims while, the pig and the rescued strays took care of the windshields, seats, the dents, as well as the shining bumpers.

That was part two of their mission, complete and out of the way. Job well done, Charles and Cliff gave a high five to each other. All that was left was to get rid of the animals.

"Great work ya guys," Charles said. "Now go on, scat!"

And with that, they all scattered to roam around as they please. Charles leaped inside the van to retrieve the keys before he closed the door, zipping to the back of the house. It was all over and done. Finally they could put all of this behind themselves. They were somewhat surprised that none of the parents had found out their van was missing this entire time. Were they really that oblivious to everything that was going on? Who knows.

Back inside, Charles set the keys down, back to where he got them from. Cliff made his way to the couch with Geo and Walt, hopping up on the cushion, lowering his haunches on it before Charles followed the cat's action immediately after. They were a little nervous. As long as they played it cool, nothing should be a problem.

Geo and Walt were pretty eager to know how everything went for the past hour and a half. "So... how was the ride?" Geo curiously said.

"It was nice..." Charles said.

"What all went down?" Walt asked.

The dog's ears twitched around. "Well, dere was a chase, grabbed some grub, other tings..."

"Alright dog," Cliff said. "I tink I need ta say somethin' here." He let out a small sigh before he delivered some words to the white hound. "I shouldn't have pressured ya into doin' somethin' that could put both of us in danger. If it made ya feel uncomfortable, it's okay ta tell me. But no, I kept pushin' ya ta do dis darin' challenge, cause I genuinely didn't tink ya had da guts ta prove yerself. All da damage dat we made together in town was... cause of me. I'm sorry, dog. If yer still willing ta be my companion after all of dis, den I promise that I won't do ya like dat ever again."

The cat threw his head down as it had Charles thinking for a brief moment. Willing to forgive feline anyway, he petted him on his head. "Yer fine, cat." he said. "Besides, this was one heck of an excitin' way to spend our time huh?"

"Most definitely dere, dog."

"And now I'm starting to regret staying here." Walt angrily said to himself.

"Told ya it was gonna be fun!" Cliff responded, just before Lynn Sr. came back into the living room. He spent the past few minutes frantically looking for his keys to his precious van. Looking back to where he had it when he came back from the store, there they were once again, much to his understandable confusion.

"Okay, I could've sworn my keys were missing from the stand when I first looked for them." the father said, before turning to the pets on the couch. "You animals didn't mess with my keys did you?"

Charles retorted with an angry growl while the rest menacingly glared at the man for the accusation. Lynn Sr. jumped a bit from the sudden reaction. "Sheesh, I was only joking around."

He called to his wife. "Honey, let's go! We gotta pick up the kids from school!"

Unbeknownst to him, Rita walked right next to him. "I'm right here, honey."

Opening the door, Lynn Sr. looked back to the pets as he said one more thing to them as Rita went to the van. "We'll see you guys back in a little while!" he said, closing the door from behind.

It was just the four animals now. Alone in solitude together.

"So what do ya wanna do now?" Charles said.

Whipping out a TV remote, Cliff said, "Let's see what on da news, I suppose."

Just in time, the two o'clock news presented itself on the screen. On it was a picture of the van that Charles and Cliff were driving just earlier today. The pet's eyes widened up as they took notice of the same vehicle, shown to millions of worldwide viewers on the air.

"Ruh-roh," the hound said before the reporter could get some words in about the article he's about to tackle for their show.

 _"So now, our top story today is a high speed chase gone terribly wrong as the force were unable to catch this dangerous criminal in this van. Police officials say that they're not going to rest until their suspect is finally apprehended from the streets."_

As the four pets looked on in complete shock, they all gulped simultaneously before Charles said, "Dey are in deep diddly doo doo."

* * *

 **~End~**


	27. The Show-Fur

_Story 26: The Show-Fur_

* * *

3:00pm

This was indeed, yet another warm, cloudless day down in the neighborhood of Royal Woods. The siblings have finished yet another day worth of learning and boredom. Each and every one of them were very eager to make their way back home to enjoy their well deserved weekend.

Now that's out of the way, let's move on to the daily lives of their four sweet little pets.

The quadruple group of the domesticated animals all sat back and watched the television as a good amount of boredom filled them all. The television screen aired a couple of advertisements before returning back to its scheduled program.

 _"And this brand new soft to the touch razor trimmer can be yours with just three simple payments of $19.95. Call now at the number depicted below us, at 810-4321!"_

The hound and the feline simultaneously elicited a yawn.

"Ain't dere somethin' dey got out dere dat'll interest us?" Cliff said.

"Yeah, like somethin' we can sink our teeth into." Charles added. "Dat ting's like a mobile nightmare!"

The feline groaned for a bit before he pointed to a somewhat bald spot just above his backside. "Tell me about it."

The three pets were curious to get a gaze upon his back. Curiosity filled them with each second they spent looking at him from behind.

"Wow." Walt said.

"Gee cat, ya sure it's supposed ta look so... pink?" Charles asked before his stomach rumbled, looking down.

"What kind of monster would do that to you?" Geo added as Charles quickly rushed upstairs, leaving the three alone to resume their discussion.

Without wasting a second to spare, Cliff answered, "Take a wild guess."

Moments later, a scream from Lynn Sr. omitted as he emerged from the kitchen like he was in a panic. He skimmed through files of paperwork regarding the fees on his van as if that marked a huge concern on the family as a whole.

"Oh, this is terrible!" he said. "We're over five hundred dollars on our finance on my sweet baby!"

Curious, the pets eavesdropped on the man, understandably baffled as to what was going on. Not long after, Rita emerged from the kitchen as well, almost gravely concerned about the same thing.

"You think that's bad, honey?" Rita said. "What am I gonna do with this huge debt on water supply and electricity?"

The three stationary animals glanced at each other. Something was wrong the minute the word 'debt' read the woman's lips. It was like something was threatening the family of thirteen human beings and themselves all together. They all shared a gulp before their eavesdropping resumed.

"Wait a minute... one thousand, two hundred and ninety five dollars we owe all together in debt?!" The father quivered in aghast.

"And... thirty one cents."

"Great goodness, honey. What are we gonna tell our children? If we don't come up with the moolah in... seventy two hours, they're going to take it all away! No water, no electricity, no transportation... NOTHING!"

The pets silently let their mouths slightly agape now. This was serious.

Clenching his hands, he uttered to himself as he started to shed some tears. "My sweet Vanzilla... all the memories I've shared..."

"Our poor kids..." Rita said, placing her hands on her face. Much to the pets' annoyance, Cliff irritably meowed at her as a small reminder. "Oh right, the pets as well... forced to go hungry and filthy?!" She grabbed her husband. "Honey, we can't let that happen!"

The father straightened up his sweater. The mind of a father figure was put to work in a snap. "Until then, we're gonna have to cut down on a lot of things in this house, so our bills don't grow more expensive! Everybody's gonna have to share the same shower, the same water and the same food."

The three pets react as if they weren't comfortable with the life changes. Having to manage their bills to support such a huge family like this one was definitely for the best. Even if it was worth the complaints they might receive, it's all only part of being a good parent to their... almost a dozen children.

He grabbed Rita's arm as he proceeded back into the kitchen to start preparation for an early dinner. "Now come on! Help me find something to whip up for dinner tonight. We gotta savor all the remaining items we have left, so one can at a time!"

As Cliff, Geo, and Walt were alone once again, each of them simultaneously took in some air before the hamster broke the silence between them all.

"Oh my gosh, you guys!" Geo said. "Of all the serious things that could take place, this has got to be the... most... serious... thing!"

"Yeesh, dramatic much?" Walt spat bewilderedly.

"I know ya ain't talkin', bird." Cliff said, arms crossed.

The bird sighed. "Now's not the time for you to lay into me."

"We gotta do something to save our butts here!" Geo exclaimed, in posthaste.

Cliff nodded in full agreement. "Ya got dat right, Ham," He placed a paw on his head. "Just da thought about starvin' and gettin' all musky is makin' me nervous!"

"And I would _hate_ having to smell those horrible, fetid fumes from everyone here." Walt added, preening himself. "Well, maybe the dog to some kind of... weird degree but I'm definitely drawing the line with this."

Crossing his arms, Geo responded "Yeah, same here!"

Scratching his head, Cliff asked the two an important question. "Da problem is... how are we gonna fix dis lil' threat of a problem?"

That one sentence had the bird and the hamster thinking. For a small moment, they were stumped. Geo and Walt shrugged as they had nothing on their mind.

"Dis is gonna be real tough fer us, ya guys."

"No, really?" Walt said, sarcastically rolling his eyes.

Conveniently, there was a potential idea that sparked them all, flashing directly from the television in front of them. It was an advertisement about an upcoming dog show, taking place on a Sunday afternoon.

 _"Do you think your dog has what it takes to outwit the competition? You think your furry little companion has the skills to impress the good old town of Royal Woods? Style, agility, obedience, do you think your dog has it all? Then this event is for you my friend! Come on down to the eighth annual dog show competition this Sunday afternoon, and you and your furry friend could win five thousand dollars in cash! Don't miss out!"_

"Mmmaybe not so tough!" Cliff said, dumbfounded by timing alone. "Ya thinkin' what I'm thinkin'?"

"We get the mutt to train for this competition and win us that money." Walt said.

"That's a lot more money to pay off the debt! Our home will be saved!" Geo said, beaming with a short applause. "This'll be perfect!"

Scratching his head, Walt had to ask for suggestions. Knowing the dog well, there's a good chance he wouldn't care much about it. "But the problem is... he's a lazier slob than the cat!"

Cliff was confused. "Pardon?" he said.

"How are we going to get that dog to even cooperate for the event?"

The feline responded with a quick sigh. Walt was right about Charles first of all. "Agh... yer right, bird. I hadn't thought about dat... Knowin' how incompetent da mutt is, we'll never pull dis off."

Unbeknownst to the three animals, the dog returned back from upstairs. "Ahem!" he spat, catching the three by surprise, eliciting a small jump with a yelp on top. Crossing his arms and tapping the carpet by his feet, he glared at the cat for his remark.

"Whoa!" Cliff said uneasily. "I uh... had no idea you were... standin' right dere da whole time."

The dog raised an eyebrow. "I beg yer pardon?"

Nervous, the cat let out a small chuckle. "I... didn't mean a single word I've said about ya."

Skipping to the point, Geo suggested, "You've got to help us here, dog!"

"With what?" the dog curiously asked before the cat grabbed onto him.

"Did ya know dat we're gonna be cut short of all the water - the power..."

"Eh, big deal." Charles brushed off.

"And worst of all... food!"

The one and only key component of their problem had the dog's eyes widen in aghast. He gulped as if it was his last one. "Ruh-roh..." he retaliated in response. This was intense. "Ya mean... we're gonna starve?! Food is like my sole passion! No more snacks, meat and all da bad junk food we can eat?!" He placed his paw on his head like he was going faint. "I'll be devastated if we can't satisfy our uncontrollable hunger if dat happens!"

An elicited whine and floppy ears later, he had no choice but to pitch in. "What are we gonna do?"

"In this case actually," Walt said. "By 'we', I mean you."

"You've got to prepare for this dog competition in less than 48 hours!"

Charles reacted as if he was puzzled by the words of the hamster. "Huh?"

"Yeah! You'll do just fine in dat ting ta win us dat moolah!" Cliff added.

The dog hesitated. "Yer... yer kiddin' right?"

Walt sighed. "Do you think we're kidding with you? We're being completely serious with you!"

"Just don't make a butt of yerself like ya did da last time da filth queen entered ya."

Nervous, Charles' eyes shifted around as if he was guilty of something. "Aw c'mon! What I do dat was so bad?"

Before one of the three pets could break down the events of the previous dog show, Cliff rolled his eyes, turned to the reader and picked up a remote in his paw as if he was about to switch a channel.

"I would personally go into detail myself, but I tink it's better if I showed ya. See fer yerself!"

* * *

 _"It's looking good here ladies and gentlemen. It's looking REAL good!"_

 _Two years ago, Lana entered Charles at the dog show, they blew everybody's mind with what they could show off with the residents of Royal Woods, heck even the whole world. As the mud loving tomboy cheered her canine companion on, Charles ran through his obstacles he had to complete. From entering and exiting the tunnel, to jumping through hoops, it was a marvelous performance to begin with. Unfortunately, in one of the most inconvenient timings from making his way up the seesaw, his butt somehow got the urge to itch right out of the blue._

 _The sudden sensation had Charles leap as if he was in pain. Caught by surprise, the observant crowd gasped, including Lana herself. The next thing they observed was her dog rubbing his butt across the field, desperate to relieve the itching._

 _The tomboy had no choice but to facepalm after the crowd broke into laughter. "Oh c'mon Charles," she said. "I thought we've been over this several times before the competition!"_

 _If she thought that incident was humiliating enough, last year's competition added a whole lot of fuel to the fire, to the point where it got them disqualified. Except this incident didn't involve fuel._

 _This time, it was logs._

 _"Looks like this is the final stretch here, ladies and gentlemen! Nothing's gonna stop this pooch now!"_

 _Just as Charles was about to take home the gold as he approached closer to the finish line, he suddenly stopped at the sound of his stomach going nuts. A whimper or two after that, he could barely hold it in. He looked to Lana as he was about to let her down once again before she yelled out to him once she realized what was going to happen next._

 _"Charles, no!" she reacted sluggishly. As the dog had no choice but to relieve himself right then and there, the crowd reactions were mixed. As some of the attendees looked away, deep aghast filled half of them as the other half resorted to hysteric laughs. A shameful ensued for her as she sighed and facepalmed herself yet again, head shaking included. "It just couldn't wait huh?"_

* * *

"Wow." Geo said with a smirk on his face. "Just... wow."

"You really bent a good one right at the center of the field…" Walt added.

Humiliated, Charles glared at the three animals as he made an attempt to correct them. "Alright. One, dat first mishap was from a few fleas invadin' a place where dey shouldn't be invadin'. And two, dat was from da meal we all had before da competition. I oughta give the one responsible fer it a piece of my mind. I'm da one who's not at fault here for all dose tings."

"That... might explain the weak stomachs we had that day..." Geo said, scratching his head.

The dog extended his arms out to the side. "Ya see? I ain't makin' any 'a dis up here!"

"Well, dis time, yer gonna win dis ting and save our home!" Cliff cheered, in hopes of motivating the pup.

"You can do this, dog! Or else I'm gonna give you what for!" Walt added.

Charles gulped. "Uh... I don't like ta be pressured like dat, bird." he said. "Besides, what's da point in goin' if I'm gonna end up humiliatin' da kid again?"

"Don't be such a quitter, dog," Cliff said, before making a suggestion. "We'll just make sure none 'a dat stuff happens!"

Geo and Walt were curious to see where the cat's plan would play out. "How?" they asked simultaneously.

"Follow me, I may have a couple idears ta execute fer ya."

"Oh geez." Charles mouthed.

Five Minutes Later

The four pets were in the kitchen now. Confident about his plans, Cliff stroked a confused Charles on his head as he held a bottle of repellent in his other paw.

"Alright dere, buddy ol' pal," the cat said. "I'm pretty sure dat this bug repellent will be enough ta keep dose filthy ticks off 'a youse."

Charles landed his gaze upon the bottle as he read what wad depicted on said container. "Buzzoff? Works almost ninety-nine percent of da time?"

"It's the best selling thing they had to date at the pet store." Geo said.

"If only it wasn't that dang expensive..." Walt added.

The hound tilted his head. Uncertain about what the feline's plan was, he would grow curious overtime. "Ya sure dat stuff's gonna work?"

"Guaranteed." Cliff reassured.

Charles looked down at the floor. Giving in to his plan not long after, he sighed. "Alright, hit me wit' it, I suppose..?"

On command, Cliff popped the top off and sprayed him down. The sensation of the contents would soon reach the bottom of the white hound before he elicited a small jump and a yip. He angrily turned to the cat, telling him off. "Hey! Watch da rump!" he said.

"Ya said dose dastardly ticks were invadin' a place dey shouldn't be invadin' right?" the cat retaliated.

While the feline himself had a point, Charles clearly hesitated for a brief moment. "I... did say dat?"

As Cliff continued spraying the white hound down, Walt stepped in to give his part of the plan. "And as for your little stench-y problem, I think that we have to not feed you anything on the day of the event."

"Whoa whoa whoa... WHOA." Charles reacted in dismay. "Now wait just a darn minute here. Yer tellin' me dat yer gonna starve me?"

"You can't do that to him, bird!" Geo said. "Everybody has to eat something, you know. Plus, there could be a chance that he'll fall out during the competition!"

"Ham's right dere, bird." Cliff said as the dog nodded in agreement. "Ya gotta eat ta keep yer strength up."

"Alright then, at least stay away from people food for the next couple of days." Walt suggested.

Ears flopped, Charles let out a subtle whine. "Man, dis'll be real tough fer me guys..."

"Don't fret, you'll do fine." Geo said, comforting the nervous pooch. "Now just rest easy and win for us. No pressure, of course..."

* * *

The Next Day - 9:00 am

The weather was slightly chilly as the skies were covered with clouds. Light winds blowing down south to brush against the environment of grass and the leaves as they rustled in harmony. It was just another average day in the neighborhood.

Charles slept like a sweet little baby in his pooch pen. He had a good feeling that nothing would disturb his peace at an hour as flawless like this one. Unfortunately for the pooch, he was disturbed by the mud loving twin as her head popped in the entrance.

"Hey Charles!" Lana exclaimed like the sweet little pollyanna she is. "Time to get up, we gotta start our training for the dog show tomorrow!"

Charles groaned to her, as if he was trying to tell her he need another five minutes of rest. Determined to take home the bacon this year, Lana put her hands on the dog's face.

"C'mon now, we've got a lot of work to do if we wanna win," she said before switching to a stern tone. "as long as ya don't embarrass me like ya did the last two times we participated!"

The latter sentence influenced a gulp from the hound. It was almost like some pressure was being applied to his psyche. Before the dog could do anything else, he was dragged out of his doghouse and into the backyard where the tomboy's training would soon commence.

She left to go grab a hula hoop before returning almost immediately. Her intents wanted the indolent dog to jump through it. She distanced herself so the pup could obtain enough room to execute those expectations of hers.

"Alright Charles, hop on through!" she directed her furry companion. All Charles did was sit there and stare directly at the item in her hand, acting confused as to what she was doing with it. He yawned for a brief moment much to Lana's annoyance before he laid himself down to snooze some of the morning away.

"C'mon boy," she spat, dropping the hula hoop as she approached the dog to wake him up. "This isn't the time for sleeping! Wake up ya lazy dog!"

The dog continued to just lie there. He wasn't willing to even budge a single inch. All he wanted was to get some more rest in.

Lana was growing a bit fed up with her animal. As she sighed in irritation, she went back to get her hula hoop, which unfortunately wasn't there. It was in the hands of her pink pageant twin.

"Lola, I'm not done with that yet!" Lana said.

"Well, sorry," Lola retaliated. "Maybe you shouldn't have left it unoccupied! Besides, I need it for training myself!"

Charles thought to himself for a brief moment. _"Please, just take it kid..."_

Determined, Lana explained why she needed the hoop more than she did. "Ya don't understand! The dog show's tomorrow and I need to give him all the training I can give him for today only!"

"Okay? And?"

"And... if we win, we could rack up thousands of dollars in prize money. Dad told us that they're struggling with their management and we're at risk of losing water, and electricity!"

"What?! How come I didn't hear about this?"

"Uh, you left to go to the bathroom to fix up the makeup on your face."

Quick to realization, Lola paused. "Oh... in that case, Charles better win this thing for us." She handed the hula hoop back to her twin. "I can't stand the thought of having to live without water and electricity and have all of us end up just like you!"

Those words alone put even more pressure on the dog. This was not an event to take as some kind of joke. With the house in danger what with two days at most to come up with the money, it was all down to Charles to save their home.

Anxious about the situation he was put in, the dog felt like he needed to whimper. What if he were to blow it big time and humiliate the tomboy for the third year in a row? Will the family still love him if that ever happens? Who knows what'll go down. Intentional or not, Charles felt like he was scared on the inside.

 _"Aw no... what am I gonna do?"_ Charles thought, quivering like he was freezing outdoors. _"Even da brat's expectin' me ta win? What next, da rest 'a dis family? Boy I hope not."_

"Now come on Charles," Lana said before she held the hoop out to her right side, pointing to it with her left. "Hop through!"

Not surprised, Charles refused to comply. He rolled around on his back, rubbing about on the lawn of grass. Noticing this, Lana was disconcerted. She let out a small groan as the dog failed to reach her expectations.

"Of course, I knew this was coming." she said to herself.

 _"I dunno why ya didn't say dat da first time."_ Charles thought, uttering noises toward the child.

"C'mon Charles, what will it take for ya to listen to me?"

Desperate, she had a thought where she once trained her to be a guard dog, failing miserably several times. Given the events on the training she tried to do, she realized that the dog would be a sucker for three things: treats, bacon, or even junk food. Her first instinct to convince the dog was to reach into her pocket and pull out a strip of bacon. She had a feeling that she could manipulate Charles into motivation. Whether it'll work or not would be anyone's guess. Chances are, he'll go for it in a heartbeat.

"Would ya do it for a strip of bacon?" she asked waving it around to catch the dog's attention. As expected, Charles stood up on his fours, licked his chops, and barked once. Immediately, he went for that piece of pork meat like it was nothing. He jumped through the hoop in a majestic manner, chomping down on the strip of bacon before chewing it thoroughly.

"Yes!" Lana exclaimed at the top of her lungs. Just as anticipated when progress was finally being made, Charles laid back on the grass like the lazy hound he is.

Lana irritably sighed once more. "Of course, _that_ was to be expected too." She had another thing in mind as if she could go all day with this. Given that her chances would be somewhat slim trying to get the darn dog to cooperate, she couldn't let a single failure stop her from accomplishing something that day. She was doing this for the family, but mostly for herself. "Alright, Charles. If you wanna do this the hard way, we'll do this the hard way!"

Back inside the living room of the house, Cliff, Geo, and Walt started to discuss on an alternate way of saving the house. As they brainstormed their ideas that could be filled with potential, Cliff began writing his contents on a sheet of note pad paper.

"How are we going to save the house from losing all the water and power?" Geo curiously said. "In case the dog doesn't win that competition?"

"I don't know, I'm trying to think!" Walt responded.

"Yeah, a good idea takes time ta whip up y'know." Cliff added. "Speakin' 'a which, I tink I've got one!"

"Really?"

"Ooh! Let's hear!" Geo exclaimed.

Before the feline could read whatever he wrote down, he cleared his throat. "Alright now, I was thinkin' we do a lil' car wash bidness. I'll man da soap, 'n give da rims a good cleanin'. Ham mans da wash, get 'em all wet, 'n boom! Pleased customers all around!"

Geo smirked. "Is it bad that I want to laugh?"

Hesitated, Walt grew curious about his plan. He felt that it was missing something. "Uh-huh… and how exactly are you going to get people to stop by so we can spiffy up their cars?"

"Yer gonna take care 'a dat part, bird."

Confused, the bird tilted his head. Where he was going with that, he'll never know unless he asked. "How?"

"I don't suppose dat lil' rump 'o yers could be put into action?"

Now realizing what the cat wanted him to do by that answer alone, Walt lashed out.

"Alright. I see what this is." he said. "You think just because I'm a bird, that automatically makes you assume that I'm made for leaving droppings everywhere?"

"Well I didn't say dat… It's just…"

"Just what?"

Cliff sighed. "Never mind. Sorry."

By that time, Geo would come up with a plan on his own. Before he gasped in excitement, a light bulb popped up over his head to indicate this.

"I think I've got it!" the hamster exclaimed.

Back outside, after a horrid montage of failure and laziness which lasted a good fifteen minutes, Lana shifted her sights down on the ground. She felt that she was let down by her one and only companion that she could trust to save the status of their home. All that training for nothing, and hopes felt like they've been dashed.

"Aw geez," she uttered. "I never thought Charles could be this… careless. If cat shows were a thing, Cliff would've done a better performance than this!"

As Charles paid the child some of his undivided attention, she let out a sigh of disappointment. "I thought I expected better from ya, boy. The last two times we were part of the show, you were like everyone's hero until ya ruined it from scratching yer rump and pooped center stage for everyone to see." Charles started whimpering. This really meant something to her, including the rest of the family. "I looked up to ya ever since I laid my sights upon ya, and that incompetence 'o yers had to shatter it into pieces."

Before she officially threw in the towel trying, she sniffled as she fights her tears, clenched her fists, and walked off. "Don't bother troubling yourself, Charles. I'll just tell the others that we're not gonna enter the show."

As the dog really started to feel bad for the young child, his stigma got his ears to flop down. What if she was right about all of the things she said from her speech? What if he really is the lazy hound he is? As much as he hated to see a child feel broken, he had to make a change as soon as possible.

And that would be today.

Sad but still very anxious, Charles turned to the reader. "Ohhh… I can't just sit here, thinkin' about bein' a disappointment to dis family." he said before he started quivering. "But she's right! Da house is in danger wit' da risk of losin' power and water. Dere's a chance dat we hafta cut back on all the food we can eat. Ev'ry one of da family'll soon starve 'n stink, though I'm used to da latter. I'll end up lettin' everybody down if I don't win dis ting fer her. Knowin' dat everybody's pressurin' me, even the cat, bird, and da hamster are in on dis, I'm already scared ta even pull dis off!"

The dog sighed. "If only da kid could understand me well, I'm willin' ta bet she'll understand why I don't want ta do dis fer her. Given dat I didn't intend ta embarrass 'n let 'er down da last two times I competed in da show." He looked down at the ground with a subtle growl. "Dumb coincidences."

Before he could finish off his monologue to the readers, something hit him in the head. Now gaining the bit of determination he needed to show everyone who's wrong, especially Lana, he gasped before he continued talking.

"A-ha! If I just move past da bad times, and just focus on what really matter ta dis family, I'm pretty sure I can bring home da bacon!" He slurped. "I really don't need practice fer dis competition. I mean, it ain't like dere's gonna be any changes ta dose shows. As long as nothin' stops me from takin' da prize home, ev'ryting'll be a-ok!"

He scoped around for a quick moment before charging back into the house. "Now ta get ta dat kid."

Back inside the kitchen, Cliff, Geo, and Walt were infiltrating the kitchen, looking for their desired items to kickstart the hamster's plan. They went through the pantry, making a scattered mess of all the food the family still had left until they couldn't find the stuff they needed.

"Dang it!" Walt said. "Nothing!"

"Looks like yer cookie plan's not gonna rake in da dough tonight." Cliff added before snickering.

"Yeah yeah, joke all you want." Geo irritably spat.

"You really need to distance yourself from that crazy prankster." Walt added.

Before they decided to tidy up the kitchen back to the way it was, Charles barked twice as he burst through the doggy door, into the living room, in hopes of finding Lana before it was too late. His appearance caught the three pets off guard. After a quick glance towards each other, they went to take a peek in the living room.

Lana entered the parents' bedroom, intending to ask the two some depressing information she had prepared for them. As much as she didn't want to spill those words in front of her parents, she had to pull herself together.

"Mom - Dad…" she said.

"What is it, Lana?" Rita said.

"Is there something wrong?" Lynn Sr. asked. "Don't tell me something's wrong… I think I'm gonna freak!"

"Actually…" Lana sighed. "...there is, unfortunately."

"What's going on?" both parents asked. It was almost like the suspense was tearing the two apart like a broken glass.

"It... looks like Charles and I-"

 _*arf, arf*_

Not a moment to spare, Charles burst in the parents' room in a majestic appearance. His face was filled with poise and fortitude. He closed his eyes, barely lifting his face up with a little wag of his tail. The sight of Charles being ready for the big day tomorrow, put a little smile of the tomboy's face. Good thing is, there wasn't any bad new to give out. Now, it was time to switch to good news.

"...are ready for the show tomorrow!"

With a subtle gulp, Charles immediately thought _"Ohhh… a dog can hope."_

* * *

The Next Day - 12:00 pm

Down at the Royal Woods Square Garden, around two hundred contestants were in line, waiting to sign up for the show that'll premiere about a full hour from now. Chatter filled the room all around as their dogs took their time to communicate with each other through sniffing as they act in a very playful mood. Nobody looked competitive in the slightest. It's almost as if the show was either a joke or something to participate in for the fun of it. But, there's always that one team that thinks they can outwit the rest. They just haven't revealed their true colors at the time being.

Lana and Charles, now spiffed up with a bow tie, were next in line at the registration booth. They both felt a little nervous, given what happened the last two times they participated. All they needed to do was brush those incidents off and start anew. Lincoln and the rest of the siblings decided to come, just to support her all the way, no matter what happens in the show. Little did the tomboy know, she doesn't know they were there.

"Next?"

It was her turn now. Lana walked up to the booth and started a conversation with a lady that had one of the most monotone voices imaginable.

"Hi!" she said.

"Name?"

"Lana Loud."

"And your dog's name and breed?"

Confident, she grabbed her companion, and smished his face onto hers. "Charles, he's the best bulldog I've ever got!"

"So, why have you decided to enter the dog show today?"

Lana scratched her head. "Well, it's a long story, but I'll cut to the chase here." She then pet her dog. "It's a perfect opportunity to show the entire population of Royal Woods how awesome this good pooch is!"

As the woman in the booth hesitated, she then finished off the conversation with "Okay, you qualify. Best of luck to you, kid."

Lana had a sentient feeling about her, but it didn't matter much. She walked deeper towards the arena of the building where everyone's waiting without her faithful companion for a small moment. Just as Charles was about to follow her, a cold sensation he received influenced a jump as it threw him off his guard. Startled by the husky dog's abrupt snuffle at his behind, he faced the curious hound and softly growled to him.

"Hey! Watch where yer sniffin' mate." Charles commanded.

Blushing, the husky smiled sheepishly. "Oh… uh sorry! I just wanted to wish you the best of luck in the show!"

"Charles, c'mon!" Lana called out.

As Charles finally started walking towards Lana, he responded back to him with "Thanks uh... you too?" before the hound finally caught up to the young tomboy.

(Almost) One Hour Later

Cliff, Geo, and Walt had the house to themselves for a few hours while the family's out to support Charles' performance at the show. Two of their backup plans didn't plan out like they thought they would. Cliff's idea received flak from Walt himself while Geo's idea fell short of dough. Left with no choice, they all had to start back from square one. They were both stumped from other potential ideas they could've had in hopes to help save their house.

Five minutes to one in the afternoon, Cliff sighed, grabbed the remote, channeling through several channels to find the dog show on the TV screen. "Welp, I can't tink of another idea ta save our butts in dis house." he said.

"I can't think of anything else either!" Geo wistfully said. "This is terrible!"

"Oh geez." Walt angrily uttered to himself. "Is nobody going to listen to what I had in mind, regarding the house?"

"Alright bird," Cliff responded before switching to a sarcastic tone. "Hit us with it, since yer so eager ta tell us."

"No need to be so assertive…" Geo added.

Given a chance, Walt rubbed his wings together. "Ok, finally!" he said. "Get ready for one of the best thought out plans you've ever heard in your lives."

Before the bird himself gave his two cents on his thoughts, an advertisement popped up on the television called World's Funniest Entertainment. The man on the screen spoke to its viewers in a rather enthusiastic voice.

 _"Hey all you people out there watching! Want to see if your video's the most entertaining out of all the rest of the world? You got what it takes to show the true meaning of comedy? Just send in your video submission at submission and you could possibly win up to ten thousand dollars in prize money! But act fast, submissions close an hour before the show premieres at 6 PM EST! Hurry up and send send send! We'd love a good laugh!"_

The commercial ends, switching to another.

 _"That's it…"_

The three pets were all stunned by coincidence alone. That would best the original plan the bird had on his mind for several hours. A larger cash prize, and a simple task to do? They were all sold in an instant. Although this was a risky competition to take, the three pets had determination painted on their face. It's almost as if their family was the _definition_ of funny.

"Hello better plan." Walt uttered with a smile.

Now, down in the arena where the big event was happening now, every participant waited patiently for the event to start. Everyone in the stands was eager to get this show on the road, filled with entertainment and pleasant surprises. To everyone's ready, the announcer was about to express his words in a playful matter in three… two… one.

"Good afternoon, citizens of Royal Woods! And welcome to the eighth annual Royal Woods dog show! This year, we have racked up to two hundred and forty eight entries for the dog show today which is… surprisingly less than last year's show. But not to fret, let's not waste time here. Now who wants to start the dog show? Yes you do! Yes you do!"

Several dogs backed back in response. They were all exuberant to have some fun. Cutting to the chase, the announcer broke down the contents of the first trial.

"Let's get on to our first trial of the competition, obedience! A judge will be around to witness how well your dog can behave and follow commands, shouldn't take no more than a minute."

"Alright Charles, we can do this." Lana said confidently before a back came from her feral companion.

Given the simplicity, Charles thought to himself _"No problem, dis'll be a piece 'o cake!"_

A judge approached the row of dogs with their owners, ready to evaluate their performance. "Ready?"

Chatters of excitement ensued for them all before they settled down for the judge to instruct the animals their first command of the trial, in a sophisticated manner.

"Sit!"

Just about every pooch on the arena did as instructed without even hesitating. Some had to tell their dogs that command since they'll most likely not listen to anyone other than their owner.

"Great! Down your dogs!"

"Lie down, Charles." Lana uttered, before Charles obeyed as the rest followed.

 _"Ain't nothin' complicated so far…"_ Charles thought. _"Da spray seems ta be workin' so far, smell seems ta be different from what I remember, and nothin' upsettin' my stomach - dis'll be a breeze."_

"Good! Now, for something a little… unique."

The mention of the last word in the sentence filled the dog with some worry. _"Ruh-roh."_

Back at the house, Cliff was on the computer, looking through the video files archived on their drive. Surely they could find something good to impress a bunch of people on the show about entertainment. As they were glancing through the files, some of the names sounded weird and awkward to them.

"Pulsatin' experiment gone wrong, Shower of gold prank, Dog passes out after sniffin' da rear end of a baby?" Cliff uncomfortably uttered to himself. "Geez, what is dis family into dese days?"

"Everybody's strange in their own ways, cat." Geo said. "But, I don't see how you can complain when you're into licking yourself."

Cliff blushed, looking away from the hamster. "It's a habit us felines have, okay?"

"That… last one sound like it could be funny?" Walt suggested uneasily.

The cat thought to himself for a bit as he scratched his head. "I guess, but let's shoot fer someone in da family." He returned back to scrolling. "While me 'n Ham here look fer da best video we got - bird, you check on how da mutt's doin' on da television."

"Got it!" Walt said before returning to the family couch. By then the first trial would be complete and ready to proceed to the next trial.

"The dog's pulling through so far!"

"That's awesome!" Geo said.

That update painted a smile on the feline. "If he can keep dat up fer da rest 'a da event, he's got dis in da bag fer sure."

Back in the arena now, the second trial would already be underway. Enthusiasm filled Spotty as he announced the next event of the show.

"Alright, it's time for the next trial: Flying disc! Everyone gets one minute to pull off their best performances while the judges evaluate your dogs. Names will be picked randomly so don't you gals go anywhere!"

"This one should be a piece of cake." Lana said while holding a disc in her hand. "Don't you think so, Charles?"

Her companion barked back twice in excitement before he started to quiver. As Lana petted him on the head, she responded with "I knew I could always count on you, boy!"

The white hound gulped nervously. He shifted his eyes sideways as if fear was out to come after him. The animal just had to play it cool from there. Judging from his performance in the previous trial, he'd try his very best to pull through, like no other pup ever could.

"Up first, we have miss April and her lovely companion, Winsor!"

Crowds cheered for the duo momentarily before they would soon realize that they're weren't on the scene at the very moment. So much for bad timing. Stretching her arms out, Lana attempted to make Charles feel comfortable for a bit. "For now, we can just sit here and watch the others. I figured this'll be a good opportunity to see what I'm workin' with. And besides, it'll probably take a while for them to pull our-"

"Aaand it looks like the duo isn't going to show up on the field. Bummer. So now, our next duo is… Lana and Charles!"

Subsequently, with eyes wide open, the hound gulped anxiously. The crowd began cheering yet again as Lana groaned immensely to the unforeseen turn of events. "Me and my big mouth."

Nervous, the tomboy herself along with her furry canine companion took the arena to perform for the crowd, as well as the judges.

"Alright boy, ready to blow these people away?" Lana asked Charles, pulling out a colorless frisbee.

"Boy I really hope so, kid..." Charles thought, ears flopped. He had to do this for her. For his family. Even his companions who's still at the house. His face was painted with determination. That meant their game faces were officially on, whether Charles was ready or not.

"Countdown in…" The others followed in an instant. "Three! Two! One! Go!"

"Alright Charles," the child said before throwing the frisbee. "Fetch!"

Charles looked at the flying disc as he pawed directly on the ground before he chased after it without another second to spare. He jumped in the air and caught the frisbee before landing back on his feet. The crowd returned to cheering as soon as the dog left a good first impression on them. The hound zipped back to his owner, giving back the disc.

"Good boy, Charles!" Lana said before she threw it further than before. "Catch it again!"

The dog smirked, squinting his eyes at the toy. Not a moment too soon, he chased after it the way he previously did. Charles had a feeling that it's time to do something more divergent and unique. He jumped up high in the air with a twist. Literally. Just like before, he caught the flying disc once again.

Just as impressed, the crowd was in great awe, even the Louds! Applause quickly ensued for the duo for their good run so far. By the time Charles returned back to Lana, time was already half up. She'd have about at least one or two more throws left before it was time to wrap the trial up.

"And we have twenty-eight seconds left!" Spotty said. "Let's see what else this wonderful duo can whip up for us today!"

"Awesome trick, boy!" Lana said, grabbing the disc, throwing it once more. "You got this!"

Chasing after the disc again, Charles glanced towards the reader and said "Yeah! I've got dis alright." before jumping in the air. Majestically, he did a flip in the air after the frisbee was caught in his mouth. That trick alone threw a lot of people off guard, including Lana herself.

"Whoa…" she mouthed.

Landing back on his four feet, he ran back to the child with better applause from the crowd. Within such a close proximity to the mud loving tomboy, a buzzer ensued, indicating that their time was up. Immediately, Charles jumped into the kid's arms, wagging his tail swiftly before she held him back.

"That was amazing!" she said. "Told ya this would be a piece of cake! I didn't know you could do anything like that!"

Jumping out of Lana's arms, Charles barked twice before he ran in circles. He sat down in front of her almost immediately after.

Pulling out some paper from her front pocket, she read what will go down in the very next trial.

"Looks like the next trial's about tracking that's coming up in the next hour! You're pretty good with using your nose, right boy?"

Charles rolled his eyes. He thought "I mean, I'm a dog. I ain't give ya dose bloodhound lessons fer nothin'," before determination filled the animal as his eyes came halfway shut. "Let's do dis!"

Back in the Loud House, Cliff and Geo were still trying to figure out what video to send to the contest. They quickly skimmed through whatever files there were on the hard drive.

"C'mon, dere's gotta be a good one hidden in here somewhere…" Cliff uttered.

The yellow avian sighed not long after. Cliff inadvertently opened up a video file as it depicted Lincoln about to prank Cliff with a joy buzzer. He snickered as he held his hand out to the feline.

 _"Put 'er there, Cliff!" the boy said. Not amused in the slightest, Cliff looked at his hand unamused. His long tail moved around until it hit a hidden mousetrap just behind_ _him. It went off, snapping his tail until it turned into a shade of red before he meowed in pain, jumping up off the floor before landing back on his fours. The result was so unexpected but accurate to Lincoln's intent, he couldn't help but laugh raucously._

 _Oh no, Cliff was pretty ticked off about that._

 _He lunged directly at the child as he mauled him right then and there. It went on for a brief moment before the end result was Lincoln was now in nothing but his underwear and shoes. What with his jeans and shirt all the way torn up now, he was able to prove that he is a domesticated cat that nobody dared to mess with._

Cliff smirked. This could be the one the world needed to see.

"I tink we have ourselves a winner!" Cliff said.

"You could say that again." Walt added. "That was honestly satisfying."

As much as they don't want to humiliate one of the family members for the sake of winning cash, they had to do it in order to save their home. They had no time for any remorse, they were slowly running out of time. The feline began uploading the video and filled out the information they needed to the submission page online.

Before Cliff turned to the reader, he sighed for a brief moment. "Now, I know I'm gonna get some flak fer dis-"

"I wouldn't care if you ask me." Walt said.

"...but dis is fer family. In da name of love I tell ya!"

"I almost feel bad for doing this." Geo said. "After they've provided us with food and a place to live for all these years, this is what we're doing to them?"

Cliff and Walt glanced at each other before they put their heads down. After one last glance, this time with a small glare, they decided to just brush it all off.

"Oh well." Cliff spat, clicking the submit button the page before another page loaded, informing them their submission has been received. As they've finished reading the page, Cliff and Walt gave each other fistbumps.

Two Hours Later

It's finally down to the last trial of the day before the ceremony rolls in the close the day. Every dog has been doing great so far, while a select few didn't do as well as they thought. Charles impression on everyone in the arena has gotten him second place in the competition while another unnamed dog has taken the lead by just a hair. Eager enough, the crowd and the contestants all waited to get the last trial on the road so everyone would be home free.

"Alright everybody!" Spotty said. "All of these events have been fun so far, now it's time for the final trial of the day: Agility! Every dog will run through the obstacles we've set up and complete it as fast as you can! But be warned, each fault will add an additional second to your dog's time. Good luck everybody!"

Nervous about the trial, Lana had to throw a reminder at her dog."Alright Charles," she said. "This is the trial you messed up badly on for the past two times we've been here. Ya better break that streak today, hear me?"

Charles nervously whined, looking up to her. Whether those incidents were intentional or not, it did put a damper between their bond to him. In which case, this was the one opportunity he had to redeem himself as if he was trying to clear his name.

Lynn Sr. was in the stands shaking. The dog's performance depended on this one trial alone. The rest of the family were quick to notice as the wife tried to calm him down. "I'm so dang nervous about this you guys, what if Charles messes this up for us? What if he doesn't win this competition? How are we going to survive without water or power?"

"Honey, calm down!" Rita said. "I'm pretty sure Charles will do just fine."

"Lana's been training him for years on end for things like this." Lincoln said. "I'm pretty sure you're just overreacting just a tad?"

"No!" Lola screamed. "You don't get it, Lincoln! You're acting like losing water and power isn't that big of a deal! Without both of those things, my precious hair will be frizzy!"

"I can already feel my connection with Boo-boo Bear weakening out!" Lori added.

"I need power to shred my rockin' guitar, dude!" Luna said.

A sigh later, Lincoln said "See? You guys are literally acting like your lives are on the line here."

"Hey, that's _literally_ my line." Lori irritably stated.

"Kids, calm down!" Rita commanded. "I'm sure we can settle this whether Charles wins or loses."

Before the trial started, Lola said "Please let it be the first choice you said…"

Thirty Minutes Later

Back at the house, Cliff, Geo, and Walt watched the dog show go down on television. Charles had to achieve a time faster than _30.93_ seconds if he wanted to have a chance at winning the show for the family. Just as nervous as the dog, Geo was the one quivering the most.

"You can do dis, dog." Cliff said.

"You better not mess this up for us!" Walt added.

Realizing something, Geo's eyes perked wide open. "Oh no," he said, causing Cliff and Walt to pay their attention towards the nervous hamster. "Remember that Buzzoff stuff the cat was talking about?"

"Yeah?" Cliff answered. "What about it?"

"We did spray him off before he left right? R-right?"

The cat gulped as the bird slowly facepalmed in disappointment.

"Ready? Set? Go!"

Time was ticking now. Charles sprinted to the first object as Lana sat and watched. He jumped over the hurdle, ran through the tunnel, and hopped up on the seesaw, waiting for it to tip over to proceed to the next. Five seconds had already passed by the time he swiftly approached another hurdle in his way.

Spotty described the details of what was going down in an enthusiastic matter. Crowds were cheering, but the Louds were louder. Impression was made all around. Despite her nervousness, Lana still cheered her canine companion on.

"Go Charles!" she yelled. Confidence sluggishly built up as the attendees showered their appeal upon the dog. Jumping over another hurdle, he bolted through a collapsed tunnel, bursting through without a care before he would find himself climbing up a dog walk.

Already, almost twenty seconds had elapsed, and not a single fault has occurred yet. Running back down, he headed towards another hurdle, jumping over that in almost an instant, followed by a tire jump. Clearly, Charles's run was flawless. It was almost like nothing could stop the pooch at any day now.

Unfortunately, there was no escaping the past.

As the white hound approached the final hurdle as fast as he could, he felt a sudden sensation that he needed to scratch at his neck.

"Uh oh," Charles whined. Fleas had invaded his fur now. This was bad. Bothered by the sudden itching, he attempted to shake them off, unable to fully concentrate on the field. Determined not to let anything ruin his run, and the chance of saving his home, he had to resume his sights on the final hurdle of the course. Closing in on the obstacle, he elicited one last leap over it, only for his feet to lightly graze the bar, stagnantly falling off after. Oh no. That could be a problem. Lana had her hands over her mouth. Scared enough, she hoped that the little mishap wouldn't count towards their time.

Nevertheless, Charles was able to finish with a score of 30.12 seconds. Slightly faster than the time they were shooting for. Impressed, the crowd filled the arena with heavy cheers and applause. For a second, Charles had to sit and scratch his neck to soothe the itching before Lana ran over to him, putting the animal in her arms.

"You did it Charles!" she said. "Good boy! I knew we had this in the bag!"

Satisfied, he barked back in response with a wag of his tail. That is, until a judge approached them about their penalty. "Bad news, kid." the judge said. "Unfortunately, because your dog happened to knock over the bar on the last obstacle, that fault has added one second to your time. Which means, your finalized time is _31.12_ seconds. I'm sorry."

Before sighing, Lana's smile switched to a frown in just a snap the minute the devastating news was revealed. Despite doing his best, Charles flopped his ears in shame along with a whine. Could their chances of saving their home quickly be a dashed dream? There was only one way to find out.

One Hour Later

It was time for the ceremonies now. Everybody was proud of their animals for doing good in the show. Win or Lose, having a lot of fun was what mattered the most. All that's left that awaited them was the announcement of the one winner who had shown the best impression of all.

"Alright you guys," Spotty stated. "I'm sure every one of you had a fun time today, now let's move on to our winner so we can all go home! And tonight's winner for the eighth annual Royal Woods Dog Show is..."

The suspense was killing them. Charles quivered like a cell phone was going off . He had a sad notion that he wouldn't be the one winning this year's competition, same with Lana and the rest of her family.

 _"Miguel and his pooch Will!"_

Crowds cheered for the winners as Lana silently gasped along with the rest of the family.

"This show is RIGGED!" Lola spat.

Sighing once more, the tomboy threw her head down while Charles copied her to present his sympathy and remorse. He did all he could to win the show for her, but unfortunately, this year wasn't their lucky one.

"C'mon, Charles..." Lana said, walking off to exit the arena. "Let's... go home."

Whining once more, Charles followed her.

A long ride home after, Charles lamented in his dog house. He couldn't believe himself after letting down his faithful, young companion for the third time in a row now. He felt that he was a disgrace, afraid that the family would berate him for failing them all, leaving no choice but to live without utility supplies for who knows how long.

Charles closed his eyes, in hopes to make the day progress faster than it is now. Unfortunately that would come to a close as Lana approached him with something behind her back.

"Hey boy..." she uttered. After the hound looked up to her, he whined out of fear that he would be scolded by her. Before giving out a simple speech, she faced down on the ground. "I know ya probably don't wanna see me right now but... it's okay."

Confused but curious, Charles lifted his head up.

"I feel that it was wrong to put so much pressure on ya to winning this competition for me so we can get that prize and save our house. But we all make mistakes from time to time, and at that time... we realized... ya didn't deserve to be treated the way we've been treating ya since yesterday. But why were ya so lazy from the beginning when I was trying to train ya?"

Charles whimpered a bit. It's almost as if he was trying to tell her something.

"You were afraid you were gonna let me down again?"

The lamented pooch threw his head down.

"What are ya talking about? You didn't let me down," Charles got up. "...surprisingly. You were amazing out there today! Heck, ya even had me surprised at a couple of tricks ya had up your sleeve!" She presented a ribbon to the dog, depicted with a paw print and "#1" overlaying the paw. Her next instinct was to place it on her favorite companion. "You're a good dog, Charles. Nobody can ever take that away from ya."

That souvenir was enough to get Charles wagging his tail playfully again. Overcome with happiness, the hound glomped Lana, putting her on the ground as he nuzzled her face.

"Whoa!" She laughed. "Down boy! Down!"

Charles obeyed.

"To make it up to you, how about we do something you wanna do?"

meow*

Hearing Cliff from inside, Charles headed into the kitchen through the doggy door before Lana followed him back inside the house. By that time, everyone else was starting to lament. Half the family sighed at the fate of losing their power and water tomorrow, they had to spend the rest of the day as a family, watching television. Switching to the last five minutes of the World's Funniest Entertainment, the results of the was just about to be announced. Would the pets' backup plan actually pull through? There was only one way to find out.

"And you've seen our three finalists to win that ten thousand dollars tonight! And the winner is... Cat Attack, by the Loud Family!"

The family was filled with gasps and confused expressions as the pets, sans Charles, had smiles on their face, high fives all around. They had no idea what was going on, but they just won the cash prize from a show nobody remembered submitting to.

"You heard it here ladies and gentlemen, The Loud family really knows how to provide some quality entertainment, I can barely keep it together! So buckle up, Louds, you're getting ten thousand dollars!"

"I don't believe this!" Lynn Sr. said. "How are we getting ten thousand dollars?!"

"I don't know honey, but I'd rather not complain!" Rita responded as the siblings cheered in joy. Speechless, Charles gazed to his furry companions in a understandable but confused manner. Cliff and the others walked into the kitchen to try and explain as the hound followed closely after.

"We were worried dat ya wouldn't win da show fer us, so we found dis opportunity ta win some moolah as a backup plan!" Cliff said.

"Oh, nice!" Charles responded playfully.

"Sorry you didn't win, dog." Geo said. "I know that meant a lot to somebody."

"S'all right Ham." Charles hugged them all. "Besides, ain't nothin' went horribly wrong durin' my time down at da arena!"

Smiling, Geo said "You did pull off some amazing stuff down there."

"Nice performance." Walt added.

"Thanks! ...Love ya guys."

There they have it. Knowing that they won the prize money from entering a video contest, their house was saved, and finally, nothing left to worry about. Sighing in great relief and a couple smishes later, an audible scream of embarrassment from Lincoln came from the living room.

"Alright, who's responsible for this?" he spat.

Charles, Cliff, Geo, and Walt began laughing.

 **~The End~**

 _A/N: Sorry this is long overdue! I'm fresh out of ideas from this point so another hiatus ensues. Until then, you're free to PM/Review any suggestions you have for more plots to turn into one-shots for this series!_

 _Thanks for reading!_


	28. Charles' Purpose

_Story 27: Charles' Purpose_

 _6:00am_

It's a very timid warm Saturday morning down in the great neighborhood of Royal Woods. The sun arises as the clouds start to set in the scene. Every single sibling of the Loud residence was still sound asleep as their father was awake, escorting himself to the kitchen to make a huge breakfast for the whole family. Confident, he hopes he'll once again give everyone a big surprise.

As for Cliff, Geo, and Walt on the other hand, or paw in this case, they were also still sound asleep along with the rest of the family. But, what about Charles? It turns out he had a little something going on in his pooch pen. After dusting himself off for a brief moment, he turned to the reader with a gaping yawn. He was rather happy, gazing upon the reader with a tired smile as he walked a few steps outside of his doghouse.

"Hey you," he said, wagging his tail. "I'm real excited ta see ya dis early in da mornin'. Ya wanna know why?"

Charles paused for a moment. "Yer guess is as good as mine, kid. Today's story is gonna be a little different from what we normally do dis time. Dis story here's all about me today, cause I've got a pretty interestin' story ta share with ya!"

The pup of the family lowered his haunches on the grass. "Now, all y'all out dere know dat us dogs in dis world only wants three tings in our lives: a home, a friend ta look up to, and most importantly, a family. Da story I have on my mind involves all da tings I just said ta youse."

The dog blushed softly, scratching his head. Not only was he excited, he was a bit nervous as well. It wasn't too serious, so he could manage to pull through this little endeavor.

"Gee, I had quite an adventure as a young pup," the dog uttered. "I remember it as if it were only yesterday. So, ya bettuh believe me when I say, dis experience is one heck of a ride."

A small gulp later, he shook his head. "I ain't stallin' too much, am I?" Charles asked, eliciting a nervous chuckle not long after. "Sorry 'bout dat. Anyway, It all started… when I first entered da world..."

* * *

 _Several years back, in such a low populated forest near the Royal Woods campgrounds, A bulldog which happened to be the mother of Charles, was just minutes away from going into labour. Her time was already coming close, having a litter of newborn puppies. She felt her family getting ready to expand at such an alarming rate._

"If my memory serves right, my mother was such a charmin' but generous dog, who'd never wanna take nothin' fer granted." Charles said. "She was a toughie, willin' ta pull though anythin' life had ta throw at her."

 _His mother panted heavily as she barely walked next to a tree, plopping herself onto the soil below rolling onto her back. It was coming swiftly. Her stomach was in an intense amount of pain. It's almost as if she was somewhat constipated. Her whines were softly heard, gradually picking up volume after each one as it lasted for at least a full minute._

"Until one day, she got ta be expectant. Da big day was comin' in not only fer me, but also my brothers 'n sisters too! If only I could understand da tings a pup like her could go through ta get us young pups where we are now."

 _The moment of Charles' mother was just about to be breached, the pain she had to endure had her howling at the humid skies. Whether she was read or not, she just wanted that pain of hers to end and the delivery over with as quick as possible. Several minutes later, her endeavor made her pull through._

 _One by one, her newborn litter would finally make their official debut into the forest of Royal Woods. Six newborn puppies were brought into this world by their grateful mother. All of them, pure and white. Except for Charles, with a black spot around his eye and a circle on his back. He was... unique. It's almost as if he really stood out from the rest of the litter._

"And there we were, finally a part of dis world." Charles said. "I actually remember da first time seein' what da rest of us siblings were seein' in our own point of view."

 _That is, the dog responsible for giving birth to him. Already, Charles was part of a family, and had someone he could definitely look up to. It's almost as if Charles' mother meant everything to him. As it started to drizzle after almost an hour, Charles' mother woke up to her newborn puppies. She took the time to inspect her litter, taking note of the pups that looked just like her. Strangely, confusion filled her mind when she had her sights fixated on Charles._

 _Did she think Charles was lost with another litter of pups? Did she think Charles was really her son? Up until her gaze landed upon the black spotted pup, she was happy and satisfied with her accomplishment._ _Unfortunately for Charles, his mother had come to a… conclusion. She somehow believed that Charles was trying to fit in with the rest of her litter in some way. He looked nothing like the rest of the puppies that were brought into the world by her. She was left without a choice to make but to do something very drastic._

"Da sad part is… I don't tink my mother loved me dat much…" Charles said uneasily.

 _With a glare from his mother, she walked over to him, picked up Charles by the mouth. She brought the unique puppy to a nearby cardboard box, with the words "good home" written on a side, isolating him from his siblings as if he's not even part of the family. Almost instantly, she dropped him inside and ran back to take care of her litter of five puppies. Just like that, his hopes and dreams were quickly dashed._

"She... threw me into a box," Charles said, whining as if he's on the verge of shedding tears. "And I had no idea why she'd do dat ta me. Was it somethin' I did? Did I mean any harm? Because of her... I lost a family, and someone ta look up to after what happened."

 _Thirty Minutes Later_

 _Rejected by his mother, Charles was all alone now, his whines eliciting for minutes on end. All he could see and hear was rain pouring down all over the forest. Understandably, he was hurt, betrayed, and reduced to sadness and sorrow, all thanks to his own mother._

"I had nothin' left in da blink of an eye." Charles said sorely. "It's like she left me dere in dat box ta suffer."

 _Could anybody really blame the poor newborn though? It's not his fault that he was just a tiny bit different from his brothers and sisters. Charles didn't ask for any of this... mean-spirited abhorrence, he just wanted something every other dog had to be happy. All he could do now was look down, flop his ears, and lament._

 _The poor pup shedded tears now as he gazed around the inside of the soaked box. His hurt sniffling was soft, as if he didn't want to draw any attention to himself. Fear increased in his little mind that because a portion of his fur was black, nobody would like him. Being the odd one out of the litter led to unfortunate implications to the mother. No longer being part of the pack literally broke the poor little canine._

 _Now that he felt hopeless, Charles was crying. There was not a single thing the poor abandoned animal could do from this point onward._

"I felt like I was in a place where I didn't belong. My heart was shattered. Of all da tings that could put me in dis much pain… it just had ta be my own mother."

 _If being rejected and isolated from his family wasn't bad enough, loud sounds of thunder came rolling in the Royal Woods area. Charles wasn't just sad now. He was extremely vulnerable. Scared, the pup attempted to duck and cover inside the box, as he hoped the bad weather would eventually blow over quickly._

"Da weather got worse after a while… I was fearin' for my newborn life out dere, Hopin' I don't get struck in da rump."

 _Some lightning struck the ground near the forest after some time, but distanced in a way where they didn't hit the cardboard box._

"Gee, dat sure woulda been a pain in da grass." Charles narrowly chuckled.

 _Things may be going the pup's way after a few claps of thunder, he just didn't know it was coming to him ever so slightly. The rain escalated to it's last drop of the day as the clouds withered out._ _When Charles decided to take a peep outside the box, he saw something pretty interesting in the distance. Too interesting. He found himself next to an open meadow, different sorts of flowers were on the field to lighten up the mood. This could be a nice opportunity to get anybody's mind of of things, especially for Charles._

"Although I was still sad from what happened earlier, da least I could do was try ta move forward… on my own."

 _To no surprise, the young pup had a problem. He had absolutely zero experience about the great outdoors. In the blink of an eye, literally anything could happen to the defenseless animal._

"But what da heck was I supposed ta do?" Charles said baffledly. "I couldn't leave my only place of comfort, riskin' my first 'n only life on this world."

 _Of course, the box was still in the Royal Woods forest. Despite being in low population, it didn't mean nothing bad was gonna happen to poor Charles. Still scared to try and move anywhere, he ducked back into the cardboard box._

"I ain't never left dat box ever since I was forcefully put dere. Heck, I even called it a… home. Least dere's dat, I guess?"

 _Before Charles knew it, some footsteps came within range of the forest. Knowing how inexperienced he was with the world around him, he gulped a small breath of air. Who could it be wandering around the forest?_

"Den da sounds of grass came a rustlin'," Charles said sinisterly. "Somebody was out dere, gettin' closer ta me as we speak!"

 _Quivering, Charles whined, drawing more attention towards him. If only the defenseless animal wasn't so panicky, there'd be a chance that he would've been fine. Whoever was out there was in range with the box now. The pup could hear some bit of playful giggling now. Did he think there was a ghost near him? Doubts were somewhat high for the pup's case._

"And dat someone just happened ta be da one dat had a passion fer animals like me."

 _Peeking into the box, a young toddler by the name of Lana made an interesting discovery. She gasped the very second she landed her gaze upon the poor thing left all alone. As the pup did the same the second he looked at her pure face, his whines came to a complete halt, and so did his shaking._

 _"Puppy!" she said, just before picking the animal up outside the box. She playfully giggled, pulling the puppy towards her face as he resumed looking at her in confusion. He sniffed at her to try and remember her more before he happily passed his little tongue onto her cheek._

"Her name was Lana, she was a sweet kid who'd love ta play in her own lil' world of nature along with other animals."

 _Lana set the white puppy down on the ground. No longer afraid, he ran about in tiny circles as he barked loudly without a care. Looking like it could be fun, Lana got down on her fours and trotted in circles barking just like the sweet little puppy. At only two years of age, the pup was extremely exuberant to find a good friend like her._

"She liked havin' fun da way I had fun, willin' ta do anythin' just ta make me a happy lil' pup," Charles sniffled. "'Tis a beautiful moment, one I was able ta cherish for years. A friend dat I could look up to. Somethin' I've been wantin' ta get back for hours. All dat was left fer me... was a family."

 _"Puppy funny," Lana blurted. Resting for a bit, Lana and the pup's stomachs growled._

"Oh yeah, and somethin' ta eat too!" Charles chuckled sheepishly.

 _The third eldest of the siblings, Luna, currently aged eleven, ran towards Lana before she picked her up from the ground. Sighing in relief, she said "Thanks goodness I found you, dude. You can't go running off like that without someone there to-"_

 _Pausing in the middle of her sentence, she noticed the puppy looking directly at her. Shocked at the proximity of his cuteness, she asked "Hey uh… who's your little friend?"_

 _Lana shrugged with a smile. She hadn't had a single clue on what name to call him or anything. Given an idea, Luna made a simple suggestion. Confident, she picked up the sweet little animal. "I think we should discuss this with the rest of the siblings back at the campgrounds." she said to herself. "Maybe we could even keep him… or her?"_

 _Curiosity sparked in her head as she said those words. Resisting to gyrate the puppy, she instead kept walking back out of the forest. "I'll just check later."_

 _Her final decision made the puppy open his eyes wide, but not before shaking his head for a small brief moment._

"Dis was my chance, kids," Charles said. "Am I finally gonna have a family again? Well who's tellin' da story here? I'll answer dat question right now!"

 _Finally in reach with the rest of the Loud family, the puppy jumped out of Luna's hands as he ran towards the table to have some barbeque for lunch. Without anybody batting an eye, he hid under the tablecloth, out of everyone's sight._

 _"Hey Luna," Lincoln said as the other siblings arrive at the table. "We've been waiting for you-"_

 _"For literally half an hour." Lori interrupted, sitting down before everyone else shortly followed._

 _"Sorry dudes," Luna said, placing Lana next to her clean twin. "Lana sure can be a little troublemaker when it comes to mingling."_

 _"Well we wouldn't have to wait to chow down, if Dad had kept a better eye on her." Lynn said._

 _"I was cooking the wieners!" Lynn Sr. retorted. "You don't know how hard it is having to be the father of all you kids."_

 _"C'mon honey, it's not that bad," Rita said. "Let's all just appreciate that we're all gonna have a nice barbeque this weekend and maybe even use this opportunity to bond."_

 _Lucy, rubbing her crystal ball, had a feeling about what was going to take place not long after. "I was thinking the same thing, but now… I'm sensing that something small will bring this family closer together..."_

 _Everyone at the table was puzzled. They shared an awkward glance before returning to Lucy. "I… sure hope so, Luce." Lincoln responded._

 _"I'll believe it when I see it." Lynn said. "I just wanna eat!"_

 _"Calm down, my little sports girl," Lynn said, passing out the hot dogs. "Bon appetit!"_

 _As everyone enjoyed their food, the puppy's stomach started growling again. What if that attracted attention? He had to satisfy his hunger in some way or else, he would get caught._

"Boy was I hungry under dat table," Charles said. "It's almost like a free buffet under dere."

 _Lana grabbed onto a few potato chips on her plate as a few were knocked down onto the grass. Quickly taking notice, the hungry pup walked to them and put his mouth to work. Chip after chip he devoured into his belly had the young animal lick his chops almost everytime._

"Anyting dat touched da ground around me was fair game."

 _As Lynn reached out to get the ketchup from the center of the table, she mistakenly knocked over Lincoln's glass of water. Understandably, he had to call her out on it._

 _"Lynn, what the heck?!" he spat, while the puppy drank up the small spillage as it dripped from the cloth._

 _"We do not reach for the condiments off the table, young lady." Rita added._

 _Feeling something in his little body, the puppy let out a tiny belch. Thankfully it wasn't audible enough to catch anyone's attention._

"Dat took care a dat hunger problem." Charles chuckled. "I'm surprised nobody batted an eye underneath da table. But dere was one more ting I had a taste fer."

 _A piece of a hot dog fell right in plain sight of the little pup. His face was beaming with glory, it looked good enough to eat, what animal wouldn't want to eat that?_

"It smelled of perfection… I just had ta eat it up!" Charles said. "It called out ta me, with its warm, meaty goodness..."

 _With that said, the curious pup walked to the piece of hot dog and munched on it. While he was lost in his own little world, the family were in a rather bickering moment. Sans the parental figures of the family, every one was covered in food, almost as if a food fight had occured. Lola was crying in Lori's arms as if she witnessed a terrible scene go down in history._

 _"Why can't you guys be more careful around a stupid table?" Lori spat._

 _"My hair's a bloody mess!" Leni screamed before bursting into tears just like Lola._

 _"This is so bogus, dudes!" Luna added, fuming._

 _"Thanks to Lynn, it looks like I peed!" Lincoln spat. "Where's the napkins?"_

 _"If Luan weren't hogging all the condiments just to make her corny jokes, we wouldn't be in this mess!" Lynn retorted._

 _"Sorry, everyone knows my jokes are a must-ard in this family!" Luan laughed. She came to a halt the second everyone scared a scowl towards her. If she could take what she said back from that point, she would._

 _The parents were understandably cross towards her immature kids. All they wanted was a nice time at the campgrounds, but one little fight had to leave it all in ruins. "I'm very disappointed in you kids." Lynn Sr. spat. "I think it's pretty evidential that we can't even go out to some place nice and have a family cookout! Arguably, this isn't as bad as the one time we went to that aquarium diner." Sighing, the father had to come down to a blunt decision. "I'm sorry, but since you kids can't behave yourselves-"_

 _The puppy noticed a bit of ketchup on Leni's feet. Curious to know what that stuff tasted like, he walked over to her and licked it clean off. What he didn't see coming was that she lifted her legs and freaked out._

 _Uh oh._

 _"Aah! Snake!" Leni screamed at the top of her lungs, flailing her arms around. Her sudden reaction got everybody else to do the same thing, looking around for the… snake._

 _"Where?!" Lincoln said audibly before Luna lifted the tablecloth. She jumped a bit after realizing it was the puppy hiding under there the entire ordeal. A tiny bark later, he ran to her arms. She picked him up and presented him to everyone at the table._

 _"Relax everyone," Luna said. "It's just a sweet puppy!"_

 _The siblings at the table landed their sights on the animal, admiring his appearance thanks to that proximity he had on him._

"Everyone was lookin' at me, like da sweet lil' angel I was. Not even a huge family like dis one could turn me away."

 _"Aww…" The siblings went._

 _Luna petted him on the head. "I know, he's a cute little fella isn't he?"_

 _"You're not kidding." Lynn said, as Lana giggled._

 _"That poor thing must've gotten lost." Rita assured._

 _"Can I hold him? ...or her?" Lincoln asked._

 _"I call dibs after Lincoln!" Lynn added while Luna passed the pup over to Lincoln._

 _"You know, I think that little animal would literally make a great addition to the family!" Lori suggested._

 _In agreement, the kids chattered amongst themselves wholeheartedly. But Dad on the other hand, he had doubts._

 _"We're not keeping that beast you kids just found." Lynn Sr. said, elicting a gasp from his nine children. "Because for one, you kids aren't going to learn to get along with each other and spend most of your time fighting over who gets to play with it!"_

"Oh yeah, I forgot dat not everyone was into dawgs like myself."

 _Lana was sniveling now. She couldn't bear the sight of seeing her father make her part ways with a new friend she just found. The siblings try their best to get Dad to change his mind and reconsider. It's just a small animal, how much damage could it even cause? It's not like the puppy crossed paths with the family to tear them apart. Surely the kids think their father can find it his heart to keep the little pupper._

 _"C'mon, Dad!" Luan said._

 _"We'll take good care of it," Lori said. "We'll even have an oath on it."_

 _"How could you say no to that face?" Lincoln added, holding the puppy to his dad's face. Not even given a chance to react, the pup licked his nose before he softly pushed him away._

 _"I'm sorry kids, I know how much you love that animal, but I'm the father figure in this family and my mind's made up."_

 _Not wanting to complain or argue, the siblings bowed their heads in disappointment. Lana on the other hand was bawling her eyes out not long after her father's decision. Her crying was loud and clear to the point her siblings plugged their ears up._

 _Lori turned to her father. "You see what you've done?" she spat._

 _"Crying's… not… gonna change… my decision, kids!" Lynn Sr. reassured._

 _"Think about what you're doing, Pops!" Leni said. "You really want this moment on your conscience? It'll be hard to live with-"_

 _"What I said is final!"_

 _Dad really meant it. Although he really didn't want to do this to them, he had to be stern, and decided they needed to learn their lesson. "Everybody get in the van. It's time to go back home. And leave. The dog. Here."_

"I couldn't believe dis was happenin'!" Charles said uneasily, his voice gradually breaking after each word. "Dere goes another shot at tryin' to have a family again. Nobody ever told me dat life would be such a cruel game ta play with. Oh da humanity!"

 _After Lincoln left the poor pup unattended, everyone went back into the van with sad expressions all around. The engine started and Vanzilla was off. Poor little poor little pup was left alone again. Tears were streaming down his face as he whined, just learning that he'll never find a good friend like her again, plus a family. Today was a sad day for the defenseless animal._

 _…_

"Not today, kids." Charles said sternly. "Dis day was da day I vowed to have somethin' nice fer once!"

 _Little Charles had to be strong. He needed faith at a time like this. From the events of what the pup had to endure through his very short lifespan, he wasn't going to lose his first friend and a real family to be a part of. He was already hurt once in the past and he'd be darned if it ever happened to him again._

"Dere was no way a meanie like him was gonna take away what I just wanted in my life. Not only dat, I learned somethin' dat day from what my mother never shared wit' me. And dat is… loyalty!"

 _With a little glare painted on his face, he had to follow them. It may be hard for him to do, but he just had to try. Catching a whiff of the van from earlier today, he ran, tracking down the motorized vehicle wherever it went._

 _It may have lasted for at least a good quarter hour, but Charles definitely knew it would be all worth it in the end. From crossing intersections, causing an accident or two, heck, even animal control attempted to catch up with him halfway to the house. There was not a single chance that Charles was gonna give up just like that. He could still smell the van from about a mile away. The determined animal was still well on their trail. All he could do was keep on running until he found his friend once again._

"I've never felt so determined ta find dat kid again." Charles chuckled. "I never thought I'd get dat far, knowin' how small I was at da time."

 _Charles kept on sprinting until he was at the Loud's residence shortly after. He found the vehicle he saw earlier parked in the driveway, which meant he found his only friend once again. Charles was so happy, he never thought he could pull off something this majestic… at such a young age as well. He stopped on the sidewalk to see everybody getting out of the vehicle before running towards them at high speed._

 _Lana was helped out of the van by Lincoln. To nobody's surprise, the child was still running the waterworks. They were surprised that she was able to stop her noisy crying though on the way back._

"I was able to find the family again! Ain't dat a hoot? I can tell ya ain't surprised cause I'm a dog but anyway..."

 _"Alright everyone, into the living room." Lynn Sr. commanded. "I've got a few words to discuss with you all."_

 _A sniffle from Lana later, the pup charged at the child, but not before letting out two barks. Surprised to see the animal again, Lana let out a huge gasp before getting glomped by the happy pup. He snuggled her face as she giggled profusely. A happy howl later and shedding tearful joy, he once again licked her face. The siblings were surprised, confused, and impressed all in one by the small, courageous animal._

"Everyone was happy to see me again, it just goes ta show ya dat true loyalty can go a long way."

 _"No way!" Lincoln uttered._

 _"But… how?!" Luna added._

 _"That is one, determined animal." Lori complimented._

 _Dad had his mouth slightly agape from what he just witnessed. He was impressed just as much as his children along with his wife._

 _"That is so sweet of him to cheer up our little precious daughter!" Rita said._

 _"At least she's not sad anymore." Lynn said before Dad walked over to pick the pup off of Lana._

 _"Now kids-"_

 _Before he could spit out another word, animal control from the Green Mile Pet Sanctuary arrived at the house. A dogcatcher named Corinne, stepped out of the vehicle and opened up the trunk, with intent to take the puppy away, if the father is okay with it._

 _"I'll take that little troublemaker you found off your hands." she said to Lynn Sr._

 _Noticing that Charles' real mother was locked away inside the van along with her puppies, he was somewhat conflicted with what he really wanted. He had to choose between his real mother or a human family. Given that she rejected him at birth, he obviously had second thoughts. At least he had someone loyal and caring rather than a heartless monster to look up to. But the final decision belonged to the father of the family. Whatever he decided goes._

 _He thought long and hard about it. Not helping that all eyes were on him, almost like it was peer pressure._

"C'mon man, don't make me go wit' dat mean ol' dog catcha... and my bad, bad mother..." he growled.

 _"Please Dad," Lincoln said. "We promise we'll take good care of him…"_

 _A brief moment later, he sighed heavily. He needed to do it for his siblings, especially Lana. "Alright, I've made a decision..." he said. The siblings leaned in like an act of suspense. "...Let's keep him!"_

 _Shocked with the decision, the kids cheered loudly. Corrine on the other hand, respected the man's decision._ _"You're a good father figure, sir." she complimented, giving the man a complimentary leash and tag for future use._

 _"I know." he chuckled, petting the pup on the head._

 _"I told you guys, something small would bring this family closer together." Lucy reminded with a smile._

 _"You weren't kidding after all, Luce." Lynn said before everyone laughed together, Animal control now leaving the scene. The pup hopped out of Lynn Sr.'s hands and glomped Lana once more. Happy, he licked her again as she playfully giggled on the pavement with every sibling surrounding them, showering them with their love and affection._

"And dere ya go, kiddos." Charles said as if he were cherishing another beautiful moment. "Dat day, my life finally had a purpose. I got all da tings a dog like me could ever ask for: a home, a friend, and most importantly... a _true_ family."

* * *

"Wow, dat was some story wasn't it, kid?" Charles asked before pausing a brief moment. "I done told ya it was gonna be one heck of a ride!"

Rubbing his head, his face turned a shade of pink for a brief moment. "Gee, ya don't know how lucky I am ta get me exactly where I am today. I am so grateful for everythin' dis family's ever done fer me, and I love dem ta pieces fer it. If only I could see my backstabbin' mother today, I woulda had several words with her. But, to be truthful wit' ya, I'd never thought I'd see karma bite her right in da arse."

A moment of silence took place before the dog broke the silence. "Oh, how did I ever get da name 'Charles'?" he said. "...Let's just say dat someone in da family's been readin' _way_ too many comics in dere free time."

Charles chuckled sheepishly as he walked to the back porch as Lynn Sr. waited to bring him his share of the breakfast he prepared. "Dat must be breakfast!" he said, licking his chops. "Boy, am I starvin'!"

Two barks later after reaching to the doggy door, the father opened the door and set a plate of leftover bacon he had left in the kitchen in front of the happy dog before he closed the door. Just the sight of it had his tail wagging and raucously panting. He spat "Yum!" before digging in immediately after. A couple munches and a gulp later, he licked his chops for the grease.

"I love my family." Charles uttered before Lana poked her head through the doggy door, licked his cheek and hugged him as if he was a soft teddy bear. His love was so strong for her that he couldn't resist doing the same thing back to her. Nothing could ever tear those two apart. They were best friends until the end.

* * *

 **~End~**


	29. Bait & Switch

Story 28: Bait & Switch

* * *

12:30 pm

Just another Monday afternoon where the family's out and about on a chilly day. Empty skies and light gusts of wind befell the great neighborhood of Royal Woods. It's not everyday on a season like spring the state of Michigan receives cool weather like this. Despite this, nobody had second thoughts about it. It's not like they would doubt the weathermen would correctly predict the future or anything… right?

Now, the four pets the Louds knew and love sat on the couch, spending their time watching yet another television program for who knows what time. A documentary on common house pets were on the air, currently explaining the history of cats. This should be interesting, for a house pet like Cliff.

"Ain't dis nice, you guys?" the feline asked. "A nice lil' documentary about my kind."

"Eh, sure I suppose?" Charles responded.

"Pretty cool!" Geo added.

"What makes you so special?" Walt furiously spat.

Charles was somewhat worried with Walt's bitterness. "Gee bird, what's with da attitude?" he asked.

"It's none of your concern okay?" the bird retorted. "But seriously, what does make a prissy feline like you so special than the rest of us?"

"Yeah, I'm curious too… kinda." Geo said.

"Will ya kids chillax for a sec dere?" Cliff said. "I'm pretty sure that I ain't any different from all of youse put together."

From that one sentence alone, it had the feline thinking as he received some glares from the other pets. Uncomfortable from the angry straring, he quickly decided to take back what he said.

"Alright alright, I get yer point! Just stop lookin' at me like dat!"

"Everyone in da animal kingdom's unique in dere special ways, ya know." Charles said.

"No wonder why the bird lashed out on you, cat." Geo said.

"At least someone gets me." Walt calmly uttered.

Confident, the dog cleared his throat. "Ya see, dogs like me are great wit' our noses, our mouths can be cleaner den a humans, and we usually get whatever we want by simply beggin' fer it."

"Don't forget dat ya spend most of yer lifespan latherin' in filth, tastin' anythin' dat comes outta ya, and puttin' yer nose where dey shouldn't be!" Cliff added.

"Ew." Walt and Geo reacted.

"Well at least it ain't as bad as you cats lickin' yerselves all over!" Charles retorted.

Understanding in agreement, Geo said, "He's got a point there."

Still disgusted, Walt spat "Still gross to me."

"...I gotta go to the computer now."

"Why though?" Charles said.

"Um… r-research purposes?"

"Ya better stop right dere, Ham. I've still got some words ta spit out!" Determined to get his own point across, Charles turned to Walt and fired back. "Well what about birds like you, throwin' up into da mouth of yer offsprings?"

Cliff and Geo were in shock. "What?!" Geo said. There goes something he never knew about Walt's kind. The bird couldn't think of anything to defend himself. Maybe he was right. He shook his head before he attempted to brush it off.

"S-so what?" Walt spat. "At least my kind is not any more gross than you, you dumb-"

Charles shared an angry glance, thinking the yellow avian was going to say what he thinks he'll say. In note of this, Walt tried to drop the sentence right there, to no avail. "...dummy!"

"Now what about da hamster over dere?" Cliff said.

Geo inevitably sighed from the disturbing and horrifying nonsense. "Alright guys, stop the gross talk and get back to the positive side of things!" he recommended. "What other things make you special in your own way?"

"I know one ting, I'm man's best friend!" Charles said.

"I-I can be man's best friend too ya know?" Cliff argued. "At least I can snuggle and purr effectively unlike youse."

"I-I tink I can do dat too!" Charles responded uneasily. He even went as far as to try and do it on Cliff with the smallest bit of success. The feline wasn't even close to being impressed by his efforts. Sighing, he pushed him off his shoulder.

"You can stop doin' dat now, dog." Cliff said. "Dat was awkward."

Charles growled under his breath. He wanted to test him at this point. "Oh yeah?" he said. "Well let's see ya do any bettuh tryna act like me!"

Feeling rather confident the second those words read the canine's lips, Cliff responded with "Heh, no problemo, dog. I'm pretty sure anybody could act just like ya." He even gave a small lick on his cheek to prove he was ready for it all.

"Bleh!" Charles reacted repulsively, wiping his cheek off.

"We should turn this into a bet!" Walt suggested, waggling his eyebrows towards the hamster with a smile.

"Sounds like fun!" Geo agreed.

Ten Minutes Later

When everything was settled between the four pets, Charles and Cliff sat right next to each other, acting like obedient animals until further notice. Walt and Geo approached them in assurance, about to unveil the rules of their bet.

Stern, Walt made the announcement. "Alright you two, you know the rules. First one to cave, loses!"

Turning over to Cliff, Charles said "I've been waitin' ta take ya down fer a long time, pussycat! Yer dog meat!"

Turning to Charles, Cliff spat "Oh such confident words fer ya ta deliver towards me dog. I've been eager ta prove who's da best in dis family fer so long, ya flat-faced butt sniffer!"

As Charles got an embarrassing shade of pink on his face, Cliff snickered to himself for a quick second.

"We'll see how ya like it when ya hafta take da blame fer everyone's fartin'!" Charles spat back.

"And we'll see how ya like it when ya hafta cough up somethin' ever so often!" Cliff fired.

"Are you guys ready or are you going to keep up the trash talk?" Walt asked.

"Let's a-go!" Charles spat along with Cliff. Their game faces were finally on.

The second everyone was ready with their full on assurance, the bird and the hamster officially spat "Go!"

The battle was on now. Determined, Cliff immediately started barking and panting. He walked around in circles, while Charles let out a simple word.

"Meow." he uttered. He didn't seem that excited about it in the slightest, but he wasn't going to lose to the cat anytime soon. A glance over to the excited feline later, he licked at his paw and brushed his head.

As the two were into their ruse,Geo and Walt stirred up a small conversation between themselves. "You know, I'm surprised we didn't think to switch their bodies or whatnot." Geo said.

Scratching his head, Walt said "To be honest, it's such a tiring and unoriginal trope for years. I still can't believe some of those television shows still use it to this day."

"What with the predictable outcomes and stuff like that?"

"Yeah, it sounds so boring just thinking about it."

In the background while Geo and Walt talked amongst themselves, Cliff sniffed at the pudgy canine while he acted curious. Surprised at the sudden action, Charles made an attempt to hiss at the feline, only to sneeze out of nowhere, causing the cat to jump back a couple steps before running off into the kitchen.

The hamster was really thinking for a moment. "If only those humans could write more original sounding plots instead of copying others then maybe things could be more you know, entertaining."

"I heard that 2003 was the best year for entertainment."

Geo gasped a small breath. "Really?" he curiously asked.

"You bet." Walt concluded.

As the two notice that Cliff was gone, and Charles was on his way upstairs to find ways to pass some time, they both turned to each other sinisterly, making bets behind their backs.

"Ten bits on the dog." Geo said.

"Ten bits on the cat." Walt spat, before the two proceeded to shake their paws and wings.

* * *

Outside, Cliff was near a tree in the backyard. He spent some time examining it while he rocked around on foot. He had to go to the bathroom, and fast. Knowing he can't use his litter box, the feline sighed heavily. If he wanted to relieve himself, he had to do it the way most dogs did so. Whether it was a tree, or a fire hydrant, that was their main targets when they needed to let it all out. Some went as far as letting it all out the other end. But no matter, Cliff had to do what he had to do.

Already uncomfortable, he lifted his hind leg behind the tree and showered a portion of it down with his business. "I don't understand how da dog can tolerate somethin' like dis…" he uttered. "I mean, ya don't see cats doin' dis stuff." A quick moment of shudders later, he was finally relieved. "Ah, dat feels so much bettuh."

Walking back to the porch to enter the kitchen once again for some food, he came across a beach ball, surprisingly still in good shape. "Hmm, I wonder…" Curious to play with it, he bounced it a couple of times before it became airborne. Slowly motioning his tail, he tried to keep it in the air for however long he can. "I gotta say, imitatin' dis dog ting ain't so bad after all."

As Cliff continued to play with the inflatable item by his lonesome, Geo rolled out to the porch to observe his doings, waiting to bust him if he ever caved. So far, it didn't look like it was going to happen anytime soon. Cliff seemed to be having fun acting like such a playful mutt.

Back inside on the second floor of the Loud residence, Walt flew in room through room trying to find the wherabouts of Charles. He later found him in the bathroom, clawing his way through some rolls of toilet paper. It seemed like he was already bored out of his mind, but he wasn't going to cave in just yet.

"Meow." Charles irritably uttered. "Dis stinks."

The second the dog's eyes landed a swift gaze on the yellow bird, he instantly turned to him and said "Where's da ball o' yarn?"

"How would I know that?" Walt responded.

That sudden response had Charles roll his eyes. "Oh please, I've seen ya wit' dat cat hundreds o' times. How do ya not know where he keeps his tings?"

The bird was growing irritated with the dog now. "Oh sure, just assume that I know every little thing that goes on in this house."

A single hmph later, he turned on the clueless canine. Charles sighed profusely before he decided to lick himself once again. His sounds of slurping audibly increased, influencing the bird to turn back to him. Widening his eyes and a silent gasp in, he reacted in an uncomfortable matter.

"Okay, that is just sick." Walt angrily spat, noticing the dog cleaning off his legs.

"Gee, ya sure love ta complain about everythin' don'tcha?" Charles uttered neutrally to Walt.

"...I blame the society for that." the bird uneasily replied.

Slightly coming to an agreement, Charles responded with "Well dere's dat." before resuming back to cleaning himself. Taking note of this, Walt rolled hs eyes.

"Ugh…"

* * *

Two Hours Later

From Charles attempting to climb walls and falling every time, to clawing at the furniture while Cliff chased his own tail around, to digging holes, their exhausting efforts resorted to great hunger. The dog may have been really bored as all living heck while the cat played all around the yard like he never did in his young lifespan to his heart's content. But alas, it was time for them to put something inside of their growling stomachs.

Lynn Sr. was home alone with the four mangy animals now. As he prepared Charles and Cliff's bowl for them to devour together, the aforementioned pets zipped into the kitchen for some grub. They both sat down obediently, waiting for the man to present them their food for the day. Tails wagging and happy panting from the cat, they were happy to see the sight of what they got to eat, Puppo Snax for the dog and Meow Mix with a hint of salmon for the cat.

"Eat up, pets!" the man said. "And now to go outside so I can do… well… stuff."

The minute he walked out of the kitchen to do whatever he wanted until his wife and children returned home, Cliff licked his lips and prepared himself to dive right into his food, but not before Charles switched the bowls right under him. From that sudden move alone, Cliff was confused for a second.

"Hey!" he exclaimed. "What up wit' dat?"

Charles hissed at the cat again, causing him to jump back once again before munching into the cat's food. His munching gradually got slower as his strong nostrils took in the fumes of the flavor of salmon in the kibble. He never ate anything like it before and clearly, he didn't expect the taste it had in store for the curious white pup. Somehow gross to him, he lifted back up from the cat's bowl and munched awkwardly on the food. He wanted to spit it out so bad, but he couldn't.

Rubbing it in, Cliff taunted the poor dog. "How's it taste, muthapuppa?" he sinisterly spat.

Trying to the best of his ability to swallow, Charles clearly hesitated, and it showed to the prissy feline next to him.

"Dat's right, don'tcha dare spit dat out!"

Charles was definitely going the other way with the feline's taunting words. Though it felt unnecessary, it was words of encouragement to the troubled canine. As he finally managed to gulp down the nasty cat food, he immediately tried to catch his breath. Seconds later after collecting himself, he turned to the feline to glare at him.

"I can't believe ya just spat dat right outta yer mouth, cat." Charles said in a monotone expression.

"And I can't believe yer actually bein' all surprised from me sayin' dat." Cliff retorted. "If anythin', dat sounded like somethin' you would utter sometimes!"

A small bit of silence later, Cliff returned to his dog-like behavior. "I mean… arf arf!" He dug into the dog's food, suddenly surprised with the taste. It was almost like he didn't know exactly what he was missing out on. For once, the feline enjoyed something new, a different brand of pet food. He didn't stop until every single piece of it was devoured.

Charles thought to himself "Whoever invented dose slow eater bowls fer us is obviously wasting dere time and money on makin' dose tings. Dey know dey can't stop us from eatin' a whole bunch o' food at once."

A loud belch from the satisfied feline later, he once again licked his lips. "Dat was some grub huh… cat."

"Eh whateva... dog." Charles uneasily responded, wafting the air once.

He grabbed the cat's bowl of food and dumped it out into the trash bin next to the fridge. He wasn't ready for what his innocent gaze landed upon next. Catching an eye full of the cat licking himself in a rather… unspeakable place, Charles quickly gasped in a good amount of air. Shielding his eyes from the absolute horror, he tried to call the nasty feline out.

"Agh! Disgustin'! What da pete's sake are ya doing, ya nasty heretic?!" Charles exclaimed, only to get scoffed by the content feline.

"Heh, I dunno what da heck yer complainin' about." he spat.

Getting more grossed out, Charles was now on the edge of vomiting. Seeing the cat do some of his dirty work was enough to literally make him gag. He had to make a break for the upstairs bathroom and fast. With no time to spare, he zipped out of the kitchen, and finally spit out his food.

Determined to win, Cliff turned to the readers. "Dat mutt ain't gonna last long, if ya ask me."

Then, a voice came along.

"Honey, I'm home!"

The mother was home from picking up her children from school. With a baker's dozen humans in the household now, could they still be able to keep up their at and not break anytime soon? There was only one way to find out.

"And now, it's about ta get a lot more difficult…" Cliff gulped.

As one of the kids whistled for Cliff, he immediately followed. Geo and Walt on the other hand, were still determined about their bet. If they were still able to handle acting different for more than two hours, then they were certain they could keep it up for just a while longer.

Turning towards each other, they both spat "Oh, you are so going to lose!"

In the living room, Luan was downstairs watching her show called 'Real Mimes of Miami' while Cliff was at her feet. Leni decided to join her too, curious to know what she was watching. Walt and Geo joined in as well, out of the teen's ways as they observed anything that's about to go down. About a minute into her show, the ditz of the family was curious.

"Hey Luan, do you know what makes this show so good?" she asked.

The jokester of the family knew she would ask a question such as that. She was prepared to provide her an answer. "Well Leni, if you must know, this show has some pretty great humor and the drama between everybody is so realistic that it's absolutely stunning! Even though they can't talk, you can feel the emotion they express towards each other!"

"Wait, they lost their ability to talk?" Leni said, as Charles walked up to her feet. "How is that possible?"

As the canine brushed against her legs, the second eldest of the siblings let out a small yelp. Looking down, the dog tried to purr, but instead he omitted a soft growl. Still yet to break character, Cliff panted as he put his gaze on the jokester.

"Charles, you spooked me!" Leni said. "You can't do that! I almost thought you were a ghost!"

Rolling his eyes, Charles tried to meow again, but it sounded so awkward to the three of them. With confused looks, they all glanced at each other. Cliff glared right at the struggling canine. He thought, "Why don'tcha give yerself up already? Dere's no way you can keep pullin' dis off." He was determined to get this battle over with so he could finally reign champion of their dumb little bet. Wagging his own tail, the feline jumped onto her lap and tried a few rough licks on Luan's face.

Luan was completely dazed as to what was happening. Cliff was never this affectionate towards anybody in the family before. Well, maybe Lana to some degree, but never anybody else. His tongue had Luan giggling to herself slightly. Charles was understandably grossed out to some degree but he wasn't going to throw in the towel just yet. He wasn't going to lose to no dirty feline like Cliff for a while.

"Cliff, you're definitely… not making a lick of sense right now!" She chuckled to herself before turned to the readers, adding "Get it?"

Even more stubborn than before, Charles hopped onto Leni's lap, clawing in at her skin. The sudden pain from Charles' claws penetrating Leni's skin and her dress had her screaming a bit louder than before.

"Ow! Ow!" she uttered. "Charles, stop! Your claws are digging into me!"

As Geo and Walt observed the ruckus the two pets are causing, they started to rethink some stuff about the bet they had between them.

"Mmmaybe this went a bit too far for our tastes…" Geo said.

Given the events that took place earlier, Walt uttered "I'm surprised you didn't say that when the cat went as far as licking his-"

"Shush!"

"Get down, Cliff, you little rascal!" Luan said in an uncontrollable laugh.

"Charles, I said stop!" Leni commanded once again. Once that didn't work out as planned. Leni picked up the content dog and set him back down on the floor, accidentally putting a tear in her dress. Luan picked up the feline off of her, only to get an accidental scratch on her shoulder from getting startled from the sudden touch.

*whine*

*meow?*

Both girls were in shock now as they realised what Charles and Cliff had done to them. They had no idea what to do next. From noticing the tear in her dress, instead of the usual screaming, Leni instead shed tears. "My dress!" she screamed before running upstairs.

"Cliff…" Luan uneasily uttered. "H-how… how could you…"

Seeing the pain in her eyes had Cliff drrop his ears down. He was sorry from what just happened. He didn't mean it, but could she really blame him from being such a fraidy cat at some point? In this case, the joker was conflicted on what to do. Stumped, she got up and joined Leni upstairs.

Charles and Cliff had no idea what to do now. Was it really worth keeping up the bet or would it be a good time to end it all right then and there? Given what just now happened, the two pets would inevitably agree with the latter choice. Their heads were down, full of shame. To make matters worse, what if something were to happen to them? Would they be punished for unintentionally attacking the teenagers? They would act like they would fear for their lives, but instead, a simple talk would be in order right about now.

As Charles and Cliff sighed, Geo and Walt came to them, acting rather clueless as to what went down.

"You guys…" Geo uttered.

"What happened?" Walt said.

"I tink… we mighta gotten carried away from all dis mess." Charles answered.

"Ya ain't kiddin', dog." Cliff added.

Charles reached a paw out to Cliff. "Look, I'm sorry we've doubted each other when we said we couldn't act like each other. Our lives are already interestin' enough and we're all unique in our own lil' way. Sure, our habits sometimes can be uncomfortable or disgusting ta have but it's what makes us da way we are. It was nice bein' a cat fer once... I guess. But I swear, dat we'd never do somethin' like dat ever again."

"I hafta admit, I've never felt so free to be such a carefree little pupper in my lifespan." Cliff said. "I rather enjoyed it. Although I didn't like some of da habits ya possess but hey, what da heck."

"Anyway, who won?" Charles asked.

With a glance, Geo and Walt simultaneously uttered "...It's a tie!"

"Oh." Charles and Cliff both said uneasily.

With nothing else to do, the four pets sat alone in the living room. Silence befelled them all until one of them decided to break it.

"So what should we do now?" Walt asked.

"How 'bout some ball?" Charles suggested.

"Sure, I'm down fer dat." Cliff said.

With the others in agreement, they followed Charles outside in the backyard.

* * *

~End~


	30. If It Ain't Broke

Story 29: If It Ain't Broke...

* * *

9:00 am

Just another typical weekday down in the Loud household. The siblings were at school, the parents winding down from a stressful trip to three campuses and back. The pets however are always up to their usual schtick of just watching a boring old television screen for anything good on during the time being. As always, the four animals were living a pet's mysterious dream.

On the rectangular screen, a scene broke down where a man wanted to have some time alone from his crazy obsessed girlfriend. Upon hearing the words that read the man's lips, to nobody's surprise, she lashed out right then and there.

 _"Are you serious? You're never going to find a hot girl like me if you ever think about leaving me for someone else. How dare you have the balls to say that?!"_

The TV flickered to another channel. It depicted a boy offering their baseball back to his bully surrounded by a pack of angry dogs.

 _"Here you go… but I bet they might come after you for it."_

 _The dogs growled immensely, provoking the bully's fear that they might bite him._

 _"...Keep it." the bully answered._

 _Curious, the boy asked "Is this your only one?"_

 _With his voice breaking, the bully responded "Just… keep it!"_

 _"Alright, I guess you don't have any balls then."_

The TV then flickered to yet another channel. This time, it depicted two anthropomorphic dogs about to play a game of catch.

 _"Hey uh… wanna play some ball?"_

 _"Nah, I gotta get back to work."_

Unsurprisingly, Walt groaned loudly. "Is this seriously how we start our stories every single time? Just sitting here looking at whatever dumb thing pops up on the TV screen?"

"Yeah, I've been wonderin' da same tin' dere, bird." Cliff reluctantly agreed. "Who writes dis stuff anyway? Not only dat, who even reads da stuff dat we put out?"

The four pets uncomfortably take a glance at the reader.

"Eh, I dunno." Charles answered. "But I know one tin', dat writuh bettuh change it up fer once in da next episode, or else we're gonna be da ones takin' ovuh dis dump."

Geo sighed. "There's always something to complain about with you guys huh?"

"Ya bet yer tail dere is, Ham." Cliff spat.

The conversation had the hamster thinking. "To be honest…" They could be correct, but then again, they may not be. Unable to make a counter argument, the hamster was pretty stumped about the complaints. Finishing off with a little shrug, Geo concluded with "I-I really don't blame you."

Before the four family pets could spit out another word, some noisy floor creaks from the second floor came rolling in. Panicking, they all got down from the furniture they once laid their butts on. As the whistling father figure of the house reached the first floor, an advertisement popped up on the screen. It depicted about something sinister, regarding the vet. Could it be just another silly but harmless ad? Who knows. Pictures of scissors and nail files flashed the TV as a woman voices over the advert.

 _"Hello there. Is your household pet giving you any trouble? Are they aggressive? Has there been any accidents caused by their behalf that stresses you out? Come on down to Veteran Cuts, where we'll fix your troublemakers right up! Your pet'll feel refreshed and their behavior will be improved in no time, guaranteed!"_

As it switched to another advert, Lynn Sr. was thinking real hard. Much to the pets' suspense, he uttered "That gives me an idea…" As the animals shared a quick glances towards one another, their nerves started to peak even higher.

"Honey?" he shouted to his wife, walking to his room where he would meet her there. "I need to have a talk with you!"

As he entered the room, he closed his bedroom door behind him. Curious, the pets, one by one, walked towards the bedroom door. As they were eavesdropping on the two human beings, the father of the family offered a suggestion about their punishment. Although the animals haven't got the foggiest of what they did, the parents believed it was time to enforce some things.

"That's perfect!" Rita agreed. "I think those animals deserve what they'll be getting tomorrow!"

"Yep! After all the trouble we went through with them for the past couple of days, they won't know what's coming to 'em! But you can't tell them, or else who knows what will go down."

"Fixing them up is going to be one of our best accomplishments for us."

"I guess it's settled then, in a few hours we take 'em down to the place and having them all fixed up!"

It hit Charles and Cliff like a mallet to the noggin. They both had a horrible feeling that they were going to get punished… in one of the worst ways possible, according to what they overheard. The dog's eyes widened and the cat trembled.

"Uh oh…" Charles said.

"Uh oh is right, dog!" Cliff frantically followed. "Dis is terrible! Dey're gonna fix us?!"

Charles paced nervously back and forth. "Oh what da heck are we gonna do?! Dey can't do dat ta us! What did we evuh do ta dem?!"

The bird and the hamster watched, having not the slightest bit of knowledge of what was going on. Walt was confused about the dog and the cat's stress. Curious, he asked "What are you guys freaking on about?"

Same as the bird, Geo sincerely asked "What's so bad about getting… what you just said?"

"Everything, ya dope!" Charles angrily spat.

"Of course da two 'o youse wouldn't unnerstand da pain of not bein' able ta… well… can ya pee?"

Stunned from the out of the blue question, Walt said "...What?"

"I said, can ya pee?"

Shaking his head for a brief moment, Walt retorted with "Dude, I'm a bird! I can't do that!"

"Den dat's why ya don't understand!" Charles concluded, before inevitably turning to the reader. His voice started to break, understandably in pain from the nightmare they've heard. "I have dreams too y'know? I've been waitin' ta make sum love fer a long time so I could become a good fadder someday 'n have a family! Knowin' what dey're gonna do ta us tomawhrow, I'll nevuh get ta fulfill dat reality!"

The dog broke down whining. He even went as far as to simply curl up in a ball, filled with fear about his pain he'll endure the very next day. Knowing how sad the dog is about the ordeal, he walked over to pet him on the head, in hopes to calm him down.

"Don't worry dog, I'm right here wit' ya." Cliff uttered.

"Don't you guys think you're overreacting a little bit about this?" Geo said.

Turning to the sincere hamster as one, Charles and Cliff irately spat "No!"

"Are ya insane in yer head?" Cliff said. "Dis here's an urgent situation!"

"Yeah," Charles spat, pushing both Geo and Walt out into the dining room. "You two ain't helpin', so stay outta dis!"

Giving an awkward glance, Walt and Geo sighed. "A-alright then?" Geo uttered.

"You don't have to be so panicky you know..." Walt spat. Almost immediately after, the two pairs of animals split their ways for the day. As for Charles and Cliff, the two were still anxious and nervous. They both had their paws over their heads, trying to figure out what they did to deserve something as hurtful as this.

"We gotta tink here, cat!" Charles frantically suggested.

"Say no more!" Cliff reluctantly responded, before he rushed to his litter box to do his business. He sighed in good relief knowing that this could be the last time they could go to the bathroom.

Annoyed, the dog had to make things a bit more clear. "I meant, we gotta tink here about why dey're doin' dis ta us! It ain't like we're aggressive or relentless, so what did we do?"

Haven't gotten a single clue, Cliff shrugged. "Beats me!"

Looking up at the ceiling, Charles put his mind to work. Having a flashback to anything that involved mischief as he scratched at his head, he spat to himself "What did I do...?"

* * *

 _The first thing that Charles remembered was that he trespassed a yard that belonged to Mr. Grouse. For some disproportionate reason over not getting his bone back from the man, the canine gave his flowers a shower with his urine. Not to the man's surprise, he burst his front door open and chased the pup out of his yard._

 _"You mangy animal!" he screamed._

 _The second thing he managed to remember recently was an incident with the living room. A foul smell was present in the area, yet nobody seemed to know where it came from. That is, until Rita looked at the family sofa and observed something rather disgusting. Discovering smear marks of light brown on the middle cushion of the furniture, she jumped back a bit as she screamed._

 _"Charles!" she called out._

 _The last thing he managed to remember was an extremely awkward moment regarding a mop. All he did at the time being was munch down on some of his food in his bowl. As the prepubescent child accidentally spilled some fresh milk on the floor in the kitchen unbeknownst to him, he left his bedroom to take out the grody trash, next to the doggy door. As the dog was alone in the room for a brief moment, the spill of milk expanded towards the mop. The soft sponge slowly getting marinated by the liquid. Just wanting to leave the kitchen to do whatever, he was stopped by Lincoln in the most awkward position imaginable._

 _His eyes got a gaze full of Charles standing right over the mop. The dog on the other hand, had no idea what to do from there. Did Lincoln think he was… doing something to the mop?_

 _With no context of what really happened, a gasp of air filled the kid as he spat "Charles? What the heck are you doing?!"_

 _Charles nervously whined as he stepped away. An embarrassing predicament like this was something he wasn't able to live down for a while. Now noticing the spill of milk next to the mop, Lincoln was in complete shock. Despite the fact that it's not what it looked like, the boy was fuming. His face turned red while he sound like a boiling kettle about to explode. A slow gulp later, Charles trembled in great fear._

* * *

Now that the flashbacks were over, Charles glanced at the reader in annoyance and spat "Sorry ya had ta see dat. But dis is a serious mattuh!" He looked back at the cat. "Who in deir right mind would even tink ta invent somethin' so painful? Da day dat dey have deirs cut off will mark justice in my book!"

Folding his arms, Cliff smirked and uttered "Ain't dat da truth."

Shaking, Charles quickly suggested "We gotta get da heck outta here!"

"Yer… yer kiddin' right?" the cat uneasily uttered back.

Charles rolled his eyes. "Do it sound like I'm kiddin' ta youse?"

"Ya know runnin' away's a risky idear right? And besides, that's such a generic plot dat it ain't even interestin' ta nobody anymore!"

Walt popped in from the open doorway to the dining room. "At least the puss gets it." he said.

In hopes to get the bird to back off, Charles growled then barked twice at him. The sudden reaction had the avian jumping, hiding behind the wall immediately after.

"Aight, so runnin' away's outta da question…" the dog said, paws over his head.

Before the dog and the cat could think of anything else, their plans had to be cut short. As Lynn Sr. opened his bedroom door with no warning whatsoever holding a pair of scissors, their hearts dropped immensely. They stared at the man slack-jawed as if he was the antagonist in the eyes of a fearful animal. A loud yipe and a meow later, they both bolted the heck out of dodge.

Clueless, the father said. "Huh, what's gotten into them?" After a moment, he turned to one of his drawers for his outdated documents. "Now where's those old docs I left in here…"

Zipping up into the second floor of the household, Charles and Cliff looked all around the hallway, almost out of breath. They tried their best efforts to avoid anything that reminded them about pain. Things were clearly at stake at this urgent situation.

"What do we do, cat?" Charles uttered.

"We gotta hide! And fast!" Cliff quickly suggested.

Desperate for anything to work their way, Charles responded with "Good plan!" The two animals went their separate ways, with Cliff heading into Lori and Leni's bedroom and Charles charging into Lincoln's bedroom. Unbeknownst to them, there was literally nowhere to hide. Every single object they would encounter soon enough would at least be sharp or pointy in one way or another. Tensions were rising as well as their fearful anxiety.

The minute the cat observed another pair of scissors used for trimming hair, he started shaking. "Scissors… dangerous..!" he mumbled to himself. His teeth chattered not long after before he simply backed away. Now outside in the hallway again, he bolted to the bedroom across theirs.

Charles looked like he was in the clear for the most part. Sighing in relief, he crashed right into the boy's drawers, knocking down a butterknife he used earlier. The piece of silverware almost hit the dog's paw, influencing a jump and a how of fear from the sudden impact. Running out into the hallway once again, the white pup made way for the bedroom of Lisa and Lily.

Cliff took a thorough look around the rocker and the joker's room. It didn't seem like anything could harm the fraidy feline. He thought he'd finally catch a relief for at least a few moments. Glancing over at some of Luan's props, his gaze received a clear view of a saw with a packet of fake blood attached to it. Noticing this, the cat's heart was pumping through his chest. He even hyperventilated just catching the sight of it alone.

"Geez! Is nothin' safe in dis crazy house?" he spat in fear. Unfortunately for Cliff, he was right, yet he was completely unaware of it. Running out into the hallway once again, he tried the bedroom belonging to both Lucy and Lynn.

As for the scaredy dog, he also thought it was safe around the bedroom of the youngest sibling duo for a moment. "Nothin' scary 'bout dis room so far." Charles nervously chuckled. He didn't know it just yet, but the dog was sorely mistaken. Everyone in the house clearly knows about Lisa's insane experiments she does from time to time. Who's to say that she doesn't possess a couple of things that are... pointy?

Looking around out of curiosity, he accidentally stepped on a button or two of a remote control, that was hooked onto a drone that belonged to the young scientist of the family. As the drone spun its blades around and levitated off the table in the room. Charles was growing more petrified by the second. He whined in fear, paying close attention to the flying gadget. It looked angry in the fearful gaze of the dog. As the moving obstacle approached the dog in an alarming rate, Charles yelped louder than before and gunned it.

Despite his fear, he wouldn't dare let that drone attack him in anyway shape or form. Running as fast as he could, the drone blocked the way out into the hallway. It acted like it had a mind of its own. To nobody's surprise, Lisa did modify it in her own free time.

"Yipe!" Charles yelled, putting his running into an abrupt halt, trying to run away from the crazy gadget as it closely followed.

Charles was getting chased down now. He tried to the best of his ability to outrun the drone until the sensation of one of the drone's spinning blades slowly come in contact with the dog's furry behind. Shaving off a small portion of his butt, Charles jumped and howled in pain as he and the drone fumbled to the ground, unable to move around due to its upside down position.

Recovering from the fall, the canine felt a draft on his rear end. Rubbing his shaved hindquarters had him blushing hard. Understandably, Charles was a bit outraged. "Aw c'mon!" he said. "I can't let dose humans see dis! I just had it groomed yesterday!" Having a strange feeling all of a sudden, he turned to the reader in a glare and a growl, and spat out in angry words "Youse best be shuttin' yer yap about dis! I'm willin' ta bet each 'n every one 'o youse have been humiliated in some way!"

Hearing a meow from the distance, Charles ran out into the hallway. Not long after, he ran head first into the face of the feline. The impact knocked them both back an inch before they laid there on the fuzzy red carpet. Fish and bacon circled around their heads as they were dizzy. They did manage to recover not long after as they shook their head and sat back up.

The first thing to be uttered by the feline was "Dere ain't nowhere ta hide!" He sucked his thumb from a papercut in the room he was in before he rolled up into a ball, much like how Charles did earlier today.

"Ev'ry twist 'n turn, we end up encounterin' tings dat provoke us!" Charles uttered back. "I dunno what ta do next! We're doomed!"

Grabbing onto each other, their teeth chattered once again. Their hearts felt like they bounced in their stomachs, as they trembled in greater fear than before. Before they could even think, the sound of footsteps came approaching upstairs. Suspense and tension built up as they would soon fear for what could happen next. As one, they backed up to the bedroom wall from Lincoln's room. There was nowhere else to run to. They would've been cornered by now, which unfortunately was their case.

Lynn Sr. was on the second floor now, holding a cage specifically for both Charles and Cliff. As he took a glance in the left hallway and the right, finally catching sight of the two animals, he immediately walked towards them. Yep, they were immediate goners.

As Charles and Cliff imagined the man in a vile way, he sinisterly spat "Come along, pets. Time to get you all fixed!"

Concluding with a devilish laugher and an ascending flames from behind, the two animals still trembled in fear. That is, until they suddenly realized that hiding from their problems was completely useless to them and decided it was time to fight back face to face. They wanted to stand up for themselves for once. Giving a flying fur about themselves and their… you know, their faces of fear quickly shifted into anger. Without even thinking for a split second, Charles and Cliff growled together as one towards the generous man. It was time… for justice.

Lynn Sr. had no idea why the two pets were suddenly acting out. Did they seem to misinterpret what he was really going to do with them? Whatever the case may be, they were furious. Barely given a chance to react, Charles pounced on the man, forming a cloud of violence. Cliff jumped in not long after to contribute to the mauling ambush on the father figure of the household. As it went on for more than just a couple of seconds, Cliff effectively put scratches all over his clothes as Charles chomped down on his buttocks. They were tearing him all the way up, almost as if he deserved it for planning to torture the two, unbeknownst to his true intents.

Six Hours Later

The Loud siblings were home now, doing what they do best: Making loud noises and causing the biggest amount of ruckus a family could ever do. As a result for crudely attacking poor ol' Lynn Sr., Charles and Cliff were thrown out of the house for the day. They both rested inside the pooch pen, feeling down about what they've done. By this time, Geo and Walt came to the backyard, returning back from Veteran Cuts with a new look to show off. The hamster received a fresh cool hairdo along with a small bowtie as the bird received the same treatment, except with gleaming, clear feet.

Trying their best not to rub it in their faces, Geo and Walt attempted to start a conversation. "Hey uh… you guys alright?" Geo said.

"What do ya tink?" Charles irately spat.

"Dumb misleadin' commercial." Cliff uttered. "If only I wasn't a cat right now, I'd sue da heck outta dem."

Charles sighed. "I hafta agree wit' ya on dat one, cat. False advertisin' for a fresh new makeover? Ain't dat a pain in da arse?" He turned around, showing off his shaved backside. "No joke!"

Stunned and speechless, Geo shielded his eyes as Walt blushed, squinting his in disgust. "Okay, I did not come out here just to see that." the bird uneasily spat.

"Well, too bad!" Charles retorted as he turned back around to face the two. "I can't believe a vague misleadin' had ta put a damper on tings between us 'n dis family."

Cliff inevitably sighed as he looked down at the grass. "What are we gonna do? We hafta make it up ta da human somehow… but dat has ta wait until we can get back inside da house."

"Anyway, you're not gonna say anything about our sweet makeover?" Walt sincerely said.

With a heavy sigh, Charles asked "...What was so great about yer dumb lil' makeover?"

"It was amazing, you guys!" Geo responded. "They had these cool miniature spas for all animals small! I've never felt so releaxed in my life!"

With a smile, Walt added "They also had these soothing pedis for us." He showed off his talon feet, clear, polished and glistening. "I went with whatever thy had available. Don't you just like the way it shines?"

"I hafta say… yer feet are… such a beaut!" Charles complimented. "And I can't believe I actually said dat."

"I hope da two 'o youse are happy." Cliff uttered. "Sure wish we'd know what it'd be like ta get dat experience."

With a small laugh, Walt said "Why wish for it when you can have it right now?"

As they made way for Lola, holding a pair of scissors and other supplies for grooming behind her back, the beauty twin of the family approached them in a sincere motion. In the mind of the white dog and the black cat, she presented a pair of scissors to the animals and devilishly spat "Alright you two, it's time for sweet little Lola to fix you guys right up!"

Concluding with a nightmarish laughter, Charles yelped and whined as Cliff meowed in fear. Not a moment to spare, they both felt dizzy and fainted, falling backwards on the grass. Lola, now confused, glanced at the reader along with Geo and Walt.

* * *

 **~End~**

 _A/N: Arguably one of the most difficult plots to write._


	31. Ailalophobia

_Story 30: Ailalophobia_

* * *

12:00pm

"Bwak! Wanna shred!"

"No Sergio! You're not coming down with me to the rink!"

Lalo whines.

"Don't worry boy. I promise to get you those treats you've been begging me for that kept me up almost all night!"

It's a rather timid day down in a place other than the good ol neighborhood of Royal Woods. The spectacular afternoon down in Great Lake city is nothing but perfection. Sweet ol' Ronnie Anne had her sights planned on showing off her skills down at the rink, always never failed to impress with anything she can pull off. If nothing goes wrong within the rest of her day, she could keep her streak up for yet another day.

But there was something that felt empty about her plans today. She was expecting Lincoln and his big sister Lori to come by today, along with a friend for a different vetrenarian down in the area. For some apparent reason, their vet from where they lived had to move to a different state. They were at least lucky that there happened to be another vet down in the city that was open for today. Even though they'll spend miles driving to the place, they'll do anything to keep a good feral friend.

As Ronnie Anne let out a small sigh while Sergio rested on her head, she opened the front door of her apartment. Her gaze had a sight full of Lincoln and Lori holding a pet cage, eager as heck to come down to the city once again.

"Lincoln, you're here!" she said.

"Hey Ronnie Anne," Lincoln said back. "Glad we could come down-"

"No time for chit-chat," Lori spat, giving the pet cage to her brother as she walked inside. "Where's my boo-boo bear?"

Confused, Ronnie Anne answered "He's currently working a shift down at the-"

"Got it!" The eldest said back before rushing to the grocery store."

As the Ronnie Anne turned back to the middle child, she curiously asked "What's with the pet cage?"

Looking right at it, the boy answered "Oh yeah, we had to take our cat down with us to try out a new vet a few hours prior."

Lincoln set the cage down and opened it up, revealing Cliff inside. His unenthusiastic meow caused Lalo to jump right out of fear, running straight to another room as his whimpering began to sound present. Yeah, he was still afraid of cats, after all this time.

Lincoln was curious about Lalo's behavior. "What's the matter with Lalo?" the boy sincerely asked.

"Tell me about it." Ronnie Anne replied, irritably rolling her eyes. "I don't know how he can be three times bigger than those cats and still be such a wimp."

"I can say the same thing about Charles. I'm pretty sure he'll have a lot in common with him"

Squinting his eyes towards the middle child, Cliff thought to himself "I oughta tell 'em ya said dat one 'o dese days." He shifted his perplexed gaze on the reader not long after. "Dis ain't botherin' nobody so far, is it?"

Given a reaction he may have felt, the cat gave off a glare and thought in angry words "Aw shaddup."

Already bored out of his mind while Lincoln and Ronnie Anne chatted it up, Cliff set foot on the floorboards of the Casagrandes and attempted to follow in Lalo's steps. He found the quivering mastiff hiding behind the couch. Curious, the feline walked up to him. Lalo, scared out of his mind, adjusted his eyes wide. The sight of the peculiar cat alone had him draw out a jump.

"Aah! Cat! Don't hurt me!" Lalo loudly spat, ducking for cover.

Twitching his nose with a few pokes to the fraidy canine, Cliff asked "Hey uh… what's da mattuh wit' youse?"

Lalo tried his best to tone down his shaking. Even though his fear of cats was greatly at large, he was willing to at least try and cope for once. Did he think Cliff was going to do something to him? Was he thinking about him inflicting pain? He looked into the eyes of the black feline as he uneasily responded "Y...y-you're not gonna... scratch at me… a-are you...?"

Cliff was confused. "Will ya relax?" he said. "Now why would I wanna hurt 'cha? I barely even known ya fer like five seconds."

Lalo stared blankly at the cat. Tracing back to the past for a brief moment in hopes to remember anything, he does have a point.

Stunned from the memory, Lalo spat "You got a good point…"

Growing curious overtime, the pudgy hound barely squinted his eyes as he walked up to Cliff as he circled around him for inspection. "Hm… you don't look like a street cat… you don't smell like a street cat…" He squinted his eyes tighter than before. Just to be completely sure, Lalo passed his slobbering tongue onto the cat. He licked upwards, covering Cliff's face in his excessive saliva.

Understandably, Cliff spat in disgust "Blech! Disgustin'!"

At this point, Lalo managed to calm himself. For once, he was comfortable. As he enthusiastically uttered "And you don't taste like a street cat!" His tail wagged frantically before sitting down.

After Cliff shook his head in hopes to dry his face, he responded with "Ya know, dat last part really ain't dat necessary."

"Sowwy." Lalo uttered back.

Sitting down with the dog, attempting to find some understanding with one another, Cliff calmly asked "Now, what's da problem wit' you 'n dem street cats yer talkin' about?"

Lalo sighed heavily. He wasn't used to talking to anyone with his little problem. If only people could really understand them, things would have went a lot more smoother. But, he had to spill his words. The black feline was willing to hear him out in any way shape or form anyway.

The dog cleared his throat. His voice started to break as he progressed. "Well… If you must know… The abundant quality of these street cats have been a pain in my butt ever since they roamed our streets! And it ain't just me, it's my whole family! Everytime I see one of those things, I start to freak! It's like they're out to get me! Gosh knows how many of those jerks versus a pup like me? Heck, how could anyone even compete with that?!"

"Whoa, dis sounds serious." Cliff responded. "But let's be real fer a sec here. Now, here ya are, a big, strong lookin' mutt dat could take down at least a group of five people, 'n yer really scared of a few cats, includin' myself for a sec?"

Lalo was a little fazed for a small amount of time. "...Did you just call me a mutt?"

Cliff patted the pudgy pup, understanding his situation perfectly clear. "C'mon now big guy. I know ya could do bettuh den dat. Mattuh fact, I'ma help ya through dis!"

"Really?" Lalo asked, having his hopes up.

With a smirk, Cliff answered "Sure, why ever not? But first, where can I find some grub in dis house?"

Half an Hour Later

Cliff and Lalo sat next to each other, eyes closed and face to face, attempting to reach a certain level of calmness. Simple exercises were being performed with surprisingly good progress at a normal pace.

"Breathe in… breathe out..." Cliff softly muttered as Lalo slowly followed. They went at it for minutes on board until the cat used other phrases. Before they both inhaled, the relaxed feline said "Bring it all in…" before the next phrase inevitably followed. As the cat exhaled "Let it all out…", a noise came erupting. It was the sound of the wind currently being shattered into pieces.

The sudden noise startled the feline as he quickly opened his eyes. He quickly glanced over to an embarrassed, blushing Lalo as he let out a small whine.

"Whoops…" he uneasily uttered.

Now learning that Lalo was the one who farted after his stench crossed his nostrils, Cliff suddenly felt woozy. He fell backwards and fainted almost immediately after. His first plan didn't go so well. It was time to make another one.

Still determined, he barely uttered "Alright… maybe we oughta try somethin' else."

Not long after the offensive incident, Cliff and Lalo resorted to the bedroom belonging to Ronnie Anne. Coincidentally, Cliff turned on her radio, which happened to be playing an expy of a really old song called 'Eyes of the Cat'.

Game faces were on, except there was an issue with the pup. A record scratch immediately ensued. "Erm… you sure there isn't something else you could put on?" Lalo asked.

"Uh, naw. Ya want somethin' dat fits what we're about ta do fer da next couple 'o minutes!"

* * *

 _As the music starts back up, a quirky montage was in progress between the two. Cliff started with a glare at the dog. Lalo reacted with a quick whimper. As the feline squinted his eyes, the dog walked back a couple steps. Cliff sighed in disbelief._

 _Next, the cat popped up in random places in the interior. The sight of seeing the cat ever so suddenly had the dog yelling. Behind the bed, under the bed, inside the compartments of her dresser, not a single bit of progress was being made._

As the music stopped, Cliff uneasily spat "Ugh, I don't tink dis is workin' out so well."

Lalo sighed. "C'mon! You can't give up now! I promise, I can do this, I swear!" he said to Cliff.

"Eh, I dunno…" the cat uttered. "Oh! I tink I got it. What if I threw in a lil' treat fer youse?"

Lalo was ecstatic. He really liked the sound of that. "Treats?" he happily spat, walking in circles. "Boy you don't know how much I love those things! Oh boy oh boy oh boy—"

Cliff put a paw on the dog's snoot, getting him to chill out. "Calm down dere, big guy. You'll get whatcha want if ya keep dem eyes on da prize."

 _The same song resumed for the two. After their motivational chat, they had the courage to try it all again. Cliff believed that anybody, even a dog can conquer their fear in some way. It all just takes time, and especially a lot of effort to reach those achievements._

 _The cat started with a glare at the dog, as the dog tried to the best of his ability to copy his expressions. The cat showed off his pearly white teeth as his eyes came halfway shut. Lalo did the same thing, except he drew a growl as an extra addition. Noticing he had something in his teeth, the cat slowly drew himself back. Small amounts of nausea filled the feline._

 _Despite the grit the dog had stuck in his teeth, Cliff liked what he was seeing so far. He could tell that his alternative plan was going flawlessly well. If he could keep the charade up for a little while, he figured that Lalo would no longer have his fear of an innocent animal such as his kind. Progress slowly filled the two while the cat gave off a little smirk._

 _Next on their agenda was another exercise Cliff had in store for Lalo. He hid around the room, popping out in front of the big dog wherever he could. Everytime the pup's gaze caught sight of the furry feline, he growled a brief moment before he barked loudly. It was so loud to the point where it would send the cat sprinting to the other side. After another round had been completed, Cliff popped out from behind the bed, giving the dog a thumbs up before his expected barking sent him hiding behind the bed again._

 _Nothing surprisingly went wrong so far, despite Lalo's fear of cats. Lalo was almost as impressed as Cliff from his plan. With the positive outcome of what they've managed to accomplish together, the dog smiled._

 _The last thing Cliff and Lalo had to do together was a small chasing session. It's commonly known fact that dogs love to chase other animals, most notably squirrels, birds, and especially cats. Cliff took off running around the apartment while Lalo closely followed. Some stuff came tumbling down as the chase continued, to nobody's surprise. As they both made their way down the stairs, a misplaced ball rolled around the front of the last flight of stairs. Lalo, still focused on chasing the swift feline, stumbled upon the ball, tumbled down the stairs until he finally landed on the cat._

 _The dog was curious, yet confused. Where did Cliff run off to? He cautiously looked to his left and right, that is until he felt a few claws poke his huge rump. A whine later, he leapt into the air, unknowingly jumping right off of Cliff. The cat lifted his face up in an unamused manner. He felt embarrassed from getting his face smooshed underneath that big backside from the family dog. Knowing it was an unfortunate accident, Lalo attempted to try and play it off with a simple snicker before he burst into laughter. As the cat was still not in the mood, the dog stopped with a sheepish smile._

 _Cliff concluded their segment with throwing a treat in Lalo's mouth, much to his enjoyment. Satisfied, he licked his lips. In his tiny mind, that was some tasty treat. Their montage finally ended on that note._

* * *

Two Hours Later

While Lincoln and Lori were still here for a little while. Cliff patted Lalo on the back.

"Alright, I tink all dis trainin' seemed ta have paid off." Cliff said.

"You really think so?" Lalo asked nervously.

Cliff confidently responded with "I mean, ya did good after ya realized a mutt like youse could ever get over yer fear of cats like me. If ya could handle me throughout da whole exercise, den a couple 'o dose cats in da streets really shouldn't be dat much of a problem!"

Lalo was suspicious. "...Again, did ya just call me a mutt?"

"C'mon! Yer a malleable, unconditioned, ...tender 'n tantalizin' ol' pup. Now who in da world could ever take dat compliment from ya?"

Before Lalo could give an answer, he was unfortunately cut off by Bobby running away from Sergio after his shift.

"Ronnie Anne, would you do something?" he said

"Bwak! We need to talk about this!" Sergio spat.

When it was just those two again, Lalo responded to Cliff "Well isn't that nice coming from a cat like you."

The cat shrugged. "Eh, I have a way wit' words sometimes."

Curious about the interesting place of Great Lake City, Cliff made his way to the front door of the apartment building. "While I'm here, I am kinda curious as ta how nice dis place may be…"

Before the cat could open the door, he was dragged away by the tail from the big dog. He screamed "No! You can't go out there!"

Cliff sighed. Knowing that he was able to take care of himself plenty of times before, he wasn't going to let him stop him from exploring. "Will ya relax? Ain't nothin' bad gonna happen ta me."

Nervous, Lalo gulped. "Uh… okay. If you say so… but please get back here safe!"

Fifteen Minutes Later

Cliff was running away with a hot dog he got to steal from an unattended cart, just before a man angrily shook his gist at the mischievous feline. Already having fun roaming the streets and on his free food spree, he was enjoying the city life. It's almost like he wanted to live down here.

"Well ain't dis da life?" he thought. "I ain't nevuh felt dis alive before ever since I did my bidness anywhere other den my litter box!"

The cat figured it was time to head back to the apartment before the two Louds realize that he was gone. Although the new experience he had was short lived, it was definitely something to remember for a long time.

Curious yet nervous as he walked down the right lane to the Casagrandes, he thought "Hm… dis is da right street back to da place… ain't it?"

Lalo looked out a window, looking for the curious cat living his new experience. Not long after, he spotted him, located a couple blocks towards the building. The dog sighed in relief. He thought something terrible would befall the animal. That is… until his greatest fears would cross paths with the only cat he managed to befriend.

Two street cats jumped in front of Cliff, softly hissing at him. They looked furious for a brief moment. As Lalo gasped in horror, fury quickly shifted into neutrality. They took their time inspecting the stunned feline as the dog continued to watch the confusing situation. His eyes kept shifting as if he was conflicted as if he had to do something, or to continue observing.

Before Cliff could even utter a single word, one of the street cats asked him to follow them. After Cliff checked his surroundings for a brief moment, he inevitably followed. That forceful decision had Lalo in shock. Almost instantly, the big dog felt so betrayed. He never thought something like this would ever happen to him, but for the first time in his life, it did.

Sadness filled the bumbling Lalo. "Oh no!" the dog said, before his voice progressively broke. "How… how could he do that? I thought he was my friend!" Lalo shed a tear. "I thought a nice feline like him would never do something like that! I… I guess it's true what I thought my whole life! All these cats are the same!" He then got on his knees, covering up his eyes with his left paw as they started sprinkling. He was so hurt. He cried. "Oh woe is me!"

One Hour Later

As Cliff returned back to the apartment safe and sound with a lampshade over his head, he was met with a sorrowful Lalo. He was still sniffling from the pain he witnessed with his very own eyes. The cat was worried, did someone do something to him? Did they punish him while he was out and about? Who knows? He'll never find out unless he tried to stir up a conversation.

After Cliff threw his lampshade off to the side, he curiously asked "Hey dog? Are ya alright?"

As Lalo lifted up his face to place his gaze on the sympathetic feline, his sadness slowly shifted into a new emotion. Rage.

Standing up before he slowly walked towards the cat, the dog spat in angry words "Well… look what the cat dragged in: betrayal!"

Cliff was confused from his sudden change of mood. "...What?"

Squinting his eyes, Lalo said "I saw exactly what you did out there not too long ago!"

As the feline flopped his ears in fear, he uneasily asked "W-what I do?"

"I'll tell you what you did!" Lalo spat before he inhaled deeply. Cliff had no choice but to prepare for what he had to deliver. "You were friends with those street cats! I can't believe you would do that! After all the stuff you've done for me, I thought we had a connection! I thought we were cool! But what you did was really not cool! You just had to take my chance at knowing that all cats aren't the same, and you crush it with your monstrous paws!"

Cliff shook his head. "Wait just a darn second!" he questionably retorted. "Were ya spyin' on me?"

"I should've known you backstabbing cats were all the same!" Lalo tearfully said back. "You don't know how much I feel betrayed from this thanks to you!"

"Whoa now. Ya can't just go assumin' dat I was backstabbin' ya just cause I crossed paths wit' dose street cats! Dat's like suspectin' a partner cheatin' on someone behind dere backs! 'N besides, w-what was I supposed ta do?"

Lalo put his paw in front of the cat. "Please, I don't have time for any pathetic excuses you just pulled right out of your backside." He placed his paw back down. "I… I don't feel like spitting out another word with you!"

Offended by the dog's accusation, Cliff had to show off his dominance. "Well what kind of a friend are ya ta paint me in such a mean spirited light fer talkin' to a species of my kind?"

Lalo threw his head down. A sniffle later, he turned his back to the cat. "I… I think it's best if... we don't ever see each other again!"

Cliff was shocked. All of this over having some bit of fun with some cats? Talk about dramatic. "Really?" Cliff spat before letting out a long, remorseful like sigh. "Well den… If I'm allowed ta be truthfully honest wit' youse as positive as I can, if yer willin' ta hear me out one last time, I'm pretty sure yer bein' way too sensitive ovuh somethin' like dis. 'N given da way yer actin' towards me right dis minute, I don't tink I'll ever regret teachin' ya my trainin' lessons."

Cliff sadly dropped his head down as he began to walk away from the crossed dog. He was still sad, but also angry. He wasn't just afraid of cats at this point. He now has a hatred towards them. The cat had a few more words before he left the large pupper alone.

"And… one more ting…" he said before turning back to Lalo. "Just cause I took da time ta hang wit' a couple cats dat I barely know, doesn't automatically prove dat I'm friends wit' em." He sniffled. "Just hope dat one day, you'll manage ta understand dat…"

After a brief moment, Lalo was left alone now. He looked around for him, but the cat was nowhere to be found. He made an attempt to toughen up after hearing his words, but he just couldn't pull himself together at the time being. He figured that some fresh air could smoothen things out a bit. As obliviousness filled the building, Lalo exited through the front door.

He took a slow, simple and gloomful stroll down the street for a few minutes. In his mind, those minutes felt like hours. Traffic was eerily empty, despite that he found a few parked cars on the block. Nobody on the streets seemed to pay any attention to the large animal. He was honestly surprised by that alone.

Before the pup even knew it, street cats popped out, one right after another. They were sinisterly laying their slanted sights right on the animal. Obviously feeling mischievous as they rubbed their paws and extended their claws, since there was no point in hiding it anyway, one of the cats lunged right out at Lalo, scratching at his tender back.

"Yow!" the dog uttered. Putting his sight on the single street cat, he softly jumped and whimpered. Not long after, One cat became two cats, two became four. The alley of cats grew into a large number, there was no way the big dog was going to stand a chance.

As he progressively shook in fear, he closed his eyes as if he was going to black out at any time soon. It was at this moment where the street cats would never see the day happen. He growled out of rage and hurt.

Oh, he was angry, and he really wanted to take it out on someone. This could be his chance, though he might not get another one like this.

As the street cats surrounded the dog, he finally lashed out. His raucous sounds of barking terrified a portion of the cats as they escaped with all their might. A few cats jumped at the dog, only to be taken out by his paw as it sent them flying to a brick wall, falling simultaneously to the ground. Lalo whipped his tail around, slapping another group of cats as they spun uncontrollably into an open, tipped trash bin. He bit down on another cat, shaking it down before he crudely tossed it into another bin. That's two points.

There was only one more cat left, and he was ready to attack. Unfortunately, there was a change of plans for the foolish feline as Lalo angrily stared at it. That move definitely made the cat have second thoughts. Slowly backing off, the cat ran off never to be seen again for… a while.

Lalo had no idea what the heck just happened. He just took down an array of street cats all by his lonesome. He stood there, speechless as to what he would do now. A blink of an eye later, he said "What the… where did that come from?!"

It turns out that Cliff's training really did him some justice. He was satisfied and happy now. Still fazed, he then said "I can't believe I actually did that!" He waggled his paws in excitement. Wow! I've never felt so alive! I never thought this day would ever come!"

Now, it was time to set some things right. There was one more thing he had to do now: making an apology.

Lalo looked to the reader and said "I gotta tell the cat about this!" before he ran as fast as he could back to the Casagrandes residence.

By the time he returned, Lori and Lincoln were in Vanzilla, driving on back to Royal Woods. He was unfortunately too late. Tired from running back, he didn't have the chance to try and stop them. Heavily catching his breath, he sat down on the sidewalk, sadly watching the van drive off into the horizon.

"No…" he uttered. "But… I never... got to say… I'm sorry…"

In the van, Cliff had thought about the exact same words. Until they meet again the next time, whenever that may be, they'll be spending that time worrying if they're still friends after their argument.

Lalo threw his head down once again. He whined and sniffled just thinking about the Loud's cat. Not long after, Ronnie Anne opened the front door, carrying the treats her dog was asking for. She was mighty confused on why the dog was sitting outside. She never saw him do something like that before.

"There you are Lalo!" she said as she walked to him, only to be met with his paws wrapped around him, followed by a sorrowful howl.

Confused as she thought the hug was for the treats, she responded with "Um… it was no problem… really." An awkward chuckle later, she glanced confusedly at the reader.

* * *

 **~End~**


	32. Super Hamster Bros

_Story 31: Super Hamster Bros.  
~Story idea by MuppetSpot~_

* * *

4:00pm

It was just another typical Friday afternoon down in the Loud House residence, surrounded by warm humidity. Just recently, the fashionista of the siblings was doing a rather surprisingly fine job at the mall for a few months. That was about to change on this very day. As the second oldest sister gazed upon her recent messages on her phone along with her roommate, she took in a big amount of air before she broke the silence.

"O. M. Gosh, Lori!" Leni said in exuberance. "Miguel's asking me to take care of a shift for him while he's packing up to go out of town for a couple of days."

"That's nice to hear, Leni." Lori responded. "I'm sure that you'll be literally raking in more of those earnings. I'm surprised that you've been able to keep this job you have for a while.

Leni nodded swiftly. "I know! Being manager sounds like a lot of fun! Ooh! You know what sounds even better? Being a fun-ager!"

Lori shook her head. "What?" she reacted.

"It's like being a manager... but with a pinch of fun!"

A baffled blink and a stare later, Lori responded with "I see…"

Leni's phone pinged. A recent notification reminded her to get to the mall soon. Upon landing her gaze on her screen, she gasped and let out a small yelp.

"I have to hurry and get ready!" Leni bolted out before heading into the only bathroom in the house. Miguel's expecting me to show up in an hour!"

A quirky, fashionable montage ensued for the teenage fashionista. Her magic worked in almost a snap. From stroking her blonde hair, to equipping her glasses on her forehead, nothing seemed to go wrong so far. Given how she can be a bit of a ditz at times, there's always going to be a little derp here and there from time to time. No matter who she was, the family would greatly appreciate her.

While the sink was on, wasting water down the drain, the second oldest of the siblings was now about to equip her thin pink earrings before she was ready to head out of the house. As she mistakenly poked her ear with the pointy part of the ring, it was enough to get her to yelp out, scattering her two rings into the air. If that wasn't concerning enough for the teen, one of her earrings landed in the sink in front of her. It circled around the hole in the center for a brief moment before it finally fell inside.

She gasped, witnessing one of her belongings become victim to the sink as it streamed down the pipes.

"No, no, no!" she yelled, looking into the sink. "This is terrible! My earring, eaten by this… funny looking funnel!"

She continued to stare inside the drain as if it was raucously laughing at her loss. A tear almost strolled out of her right eye. She had absolutely no idea what to do from this point foreward...

.

.

.

Except call for help.

As she left the bathroom, she screamed out at the top of her lungs, "LORIIII!"

Five Minutes Later

Lori, Leni and Lana were part of the scene now. Looking into the sink, Lori squinted her eyes. There wasn't a single earring in sight down that drain. She sighed before she could even break the news to her ditzy sibling.

"I'm sorry," she said. "It's just not in there."

"It's probably washed away somewhere in the sewage by now." Lana added. "Though I really wanna check that out sometime. I could find tons of stuff down there!"

"I can't go anywhere looking like this!" Leni spat. "It just feels so unnatural for me to just walk around with only one ring!"

"Leni, calm down." Lori said, placing the palm of her hand on Leni's shoulder. "You're literally acting like your life really depends on it."

The tomboy scoffed. "That sounds ironic, considering that you can't take your eyes off your phone for more than two minutes."

As Lana smirked immediately after, Lori glared at the child. "You're not helping."

After a small shrug, the grade-school tomboy uttered "Oh well."

"Please, you guys!" Leni cried out. "You guys have to help me get my other earring back! It's not that my life depends on it, but rather dressing for success!"

Lana paused for a minute. A smart retaliation like that influenced the kid to lay her gaze on the oldest of the siblings. "You know, she does have a point. The work force pays a lot of attention to that detail."

"Well, can't you go to the mall without your earrings for once?" Lori suggested. "It's not like they'll-"

Interrupted by Leni's corrupted bawling, the social media teen had no choice but to side with the little plumber. A sigh later, she looked to her and said "Let's get to work."

"Wait, they're relocating us?!" Leni emotionally spat.

As Lori irritably rolled her eyes, Lana popped her knuckles with a determined smile painted on her face. She had ways to show what a huge family is for after all, never mind that some people do underestimate others.

"Looks like this is a little job for the hamster!" she said, blowing on her two fingers to omit a signaling whistle to call in the animal that fits all of the descriptions of the job.

Geo.

Though he may be a small, but furry little creature, he'll do whatever it took in order to satisfy his owners. The hamster rolled into the bathroom, saluting the child with determination and a wink, before he was assigned with a task by the young tomboy.

"Okay there, Geo. I think you know what to do." the plumber said, before the little brown rodent opened his ball, climbed the little plumber and dove right into the sink.

"Huh? But... you didn't tell him to do anything!" Leni added in confusion.

"I literally need to start teaching you about implications." Lori uttered, looking down at the tiled floorboard.

As Geo gave a quick thumbs up, he descended right into the pipes. Leni wanted to add something to the determined hamster before it was too late to reach him. She felt it was necessary to do so.

"Hurry Geo! There's three fours and an hour left!" she warned.

"Uh… you could've just said forty-five minutes…" Lori suggested, arms folded.

"Now what if he doesn't make it back in time?" Lana anxiously questioned.

Nervous, but acting confident, the eldest answered "I'm sure we can figure something out."

* * *

Down deep into the sewers, Geo exited the pipe with ease, landing on the concrete next to the flow of the stench-filled water. After his tough landing, the hamster collected himself. Putting his stubby paws on his head, he rubbed it vertically.

"Geez, the things I do for this chaotic family I live with." he said, his voice notably echoing all around him. He jumped upon hearing himself slowly fade out. "Whoa… who's there…? Is that… me? That can't be me, is it?"

Hearing himself echoing out once more, the rodent was convinced. That effect on his voice was definitely him.

Starting to walk, he concluded with, "Heh. Nice."

A subtle noise approached his way. The hamster's confidence slowly shifted to concern. What if it was something out to get him? With the way the world's being now, literally anything was bound to happen.

The ascending sounds of pitter-patter were getting louder as the rodent stood still like an old statue. It was almost as if someone or something was walking around aimlessly. What could be coming his way? He could barely tell due to the limited light underground. It was dark, and somewhat scary. Geo had to brace himself no matter what, and here came the one responsible for the source.

"W-who's there?" he uneasily murmured.

The answer to the hamster's question was rather simple. It was a snapping turtle.

Confused, the slow creature examined Geo, unaware of his species as if it's never seen one before. Just as baffled, the hamster glanced toward the reader, crossing his arms for a moment. Suspicions arose in the mind of the tiny animal.

"Okay, where have I seen this before?"

Before he could spit out some more sentences, the turtle charged at the hamster. Taking note of its aggressive behavior, giving away its element of surprise, the hamster yelped. Fear filled him immensely. He jumped, dodging the oncoming animal as he pounced on its head. Knocked down to the ground, the hamster performed a front flip as he dismounted the turtle.

"Hah. That'll show you, mister!" Landing soon after, he proceeded to browse the place some more. The quest for searching for a missing earring, never mind that it's not an important priority anyway, was still in progress. For the sake of goodness, the hamster had just started on his little adventure.

Time was ticking. That's already two minutes down the drain, no pun intended. Glancing at all the things the hamster seemed to encounter as he moved around, Geo paused to land his innocent gaze upon a single coin. It was a big one, half the size of himself, shimmering in its golden glory. It was worth the amount of a single dollar bill.

"Hm… This seems to be a rare find," Geo said to himself. "Why would anybody throw something like this down the drain? This is definitely worth keeping!"

The happy little gnawer stored the item someplace safe. He was thinking about what other questionable items would he be able to find down in the sewage, aside from all the stinky urine and fecal samples everybody flushes down the pipes twenty-four seven. He could see why Lana herself is into plumbing as well as animals and all the dirt and mud the world had to offer.

No matter, he had to progress on his little journey to find something for the sake of a teenage girl.

* * *

Fifteen minutes had Back in the Loud house, Leni paced herself back and forth in her bedroom. She quivered in fear, wondering if Geo will be able to pull things off for her in time. Anxiety levels arose inside of her. She never went anywhere outside of the house without her earrings on before. It felt like a single accessory was the only piece of her that was missing. It wasn't like her exposure was… indecent. As her usual self, she'll take anything seriously.

"Leni, you need to calm down about that earring." Lori said, shifting her eyes halfway shut.

"Lori, you don't understand!" Leni retorted, throwing her hands down. "The fashion game is not that simple. You know how many people out there that care about how they look?"

"You tell her, girl!" Lola added, walking past their room in the hallway.

"But we're talking about a trivial subject, over a dumb earring." Lori responded.

Leni gasped. Fury filled her to the point that lashing out felt necessary in her case. "That earring is not dumb! How could you?!"

Lori was understandably confused now. "But I..." After a moment of awkward silence, she had to let out a sigh. "You know, a lot of people out there, especially for us girls would kill to have earrings for a fashionable accessory. A good portion of them don't even have or wear them. I literally doubt that having no earrings on for once would make that much of a difference."

Leni thought to herself for a second as she glanced at the floor, her fingertips motioning back and forth in her mob of blonde hair strands. Although she had some good points, the fashionista herself was stumped. She didn't know what to think of it at first, despite the sound morality.

"I really don't know about this, Lori." Leni said, slowly rolling her eyes away from her sister.

"Come on, You really think people are going to judge you over one simple unimportant thing?"

As the eldest walked to Leni, she responded back to her uneasily. "Well… I guess I see where you're going with this. But I just really hope having to work without my precious earrings doesn't cause anything unfortunate…"

Lori put her hand on Leni's shoulder. "Believe me, you look fine the way you are now. I'm sure you'll pull through."

With a nervous little smile, Leni left the bedroom.

.

.

.

The coast seemed to be clear now. It was time for Lori to put her plan B to work. She had an urgent feeling that she'll lose it the second she arrives at the mall. Confident enough that she'll be alone for the next few minutes, she whistled for the flying companion in the family.

Walt flew into her bedroom, giving off an annoyed look as usual. He looked at her as if there wasn't much time to waste. She had to break her details down as precise and clear as possible.

"Go find Geo somewhere in the sewage with Leni's earring, then look for her at the mall." She instructed. Although the bird might have been confused about her strange request as it was something he never heard before, he rolled his eyes before he swiftly flew out the open window of her room.

* * *

Back in the grody sewage, Geo continued walking aimlessly around the place. As he would've expected, he was unfortunately tired. He looked around several square feet worth the space of the underground sewers, but there was no luck. What if it was gone for good? Maybe something ate it up and it was sitting in their digestive system by now?

Whatever the reason, it was nowhere in plain sight for miles. If the little rodent wanted to give up at any point by now, who could honestly blame him for that decision? If anything, he's currently risking himself over an earring.

"Yes, thanks for that useful information," Geo said irritably. "Though in all honesty, what's stopping that lady from buying another pair of those things? It's not like those things are rare or anything…"

A hiss threw the hamster off his guard. Something else was coming towards him. Knowing that it was a snake, he started to tremble. As anxiety towered him, he had to put his best foot forward. He knows to show off his assertion, no matter what threatened the little guy.

That backbone of his built up with good results. As Geo squinted his eyes, Fierceness painted over his nerves. "Alright you sinister snake, show yourself!"

.

.

.

Turns out, he was partially correct. As a snake emerged from the darkness, a raccoon showed themselves soon after. Yes, it was a two versus one standoff. Geo didn't seem that scared of them at first. Realizing that Lana owns a snake along with a racoon at some point in the family, he didn't doubt that this type of encounter would be any different.

"You're on our turf, kid," the raccoon spat. "No trespassin' around here!"

"Yessssss, now how 'bout you sssssskedaddle on outta here?" the snake added.

"I'm sorry, but I don't think that's going to happen anytime soon." Geo asserted.

Raising their eyebrows, their attitudes audibly grew. Surprised expressions shifted into mean spirits. Oh no. They didn't like the sound of that.

The snake was the first to assert its words. "What did you sssssay?!"

Arms crossed, the hamster retorted. "I said, I don't think that's going to happen. How else am I supposed to make that clear, you dumbies?"

Squinting its eyes in anger, the raccoon spat to the little rodent, "Wowza. That's pretty tough talk… for a tiny little wimp like yourself."

As it started popping its knuckles, Geo finally found something. It was the earring Leni had lost in the sink. He thought it was long lost to the point that it left him baffled. After all this time, he was surprised that he was able to even find it. But he had a bigger problem now. He had to deal with two relentless animals, blocking his path.

Taking note of the hamster's eye movement, the snake looked back at the earring as well. Thinking that it's what Geo wanted, it looked back at him menacingly.

"Ohhhh no. You're not gettin' your ssssstubby little paws on thisssss here ring! Findersssss... keepersssss!"

"Ssssscrew that!" Geo angrily spat, mocking the snake. "I'ma taking back what belongssss to me!"

Tired and annoyed from the hamster's brave attitude, the raccoon charged at him, preparing to deliver a sucker punch. As it screamed out, Geo had to retaliate and defend for himself. Much to his own luck, there just happened to be a hammer sitting right off to the side of him. He struggled to lift it off the floor before he was able to obtain a good grip on it. When the raging raccoon was in range, with his delivery somehow off, Geo slammed the hammer down on the procyon's foot.

"YOW!" the coon yelled, as Geo was able to slide past with ease. Before the luck-ridden hamster could even get a chance to snag the earring and get the heck out of dodge, the snake on the other hand made an attempt to catch him by surprise.

"Why you little…", it spat as it lassoed Geo up, disabling his ability to even walk or move. Geo was in shock. He never saw this coming at all. "How dare you disssssrespect our kingdom like that?!"

As the hamster struggled to free himself from the snake's grasp, he glanced at the mean serpent. "Mind you, that kingdom belongs to the cats!" he corrected.

Gradually squeezing Geo as tight as he possibly could, the snake's eyes squinted tightly. "Who caresssss? I'm certainly not gonna let a sssssmall little punk like you push ussss around!"

"Mwahahaha!" the coon laughed hysterically. "Now how 'bout you hold still for us so we can get this over 'n done with, huh?"

Still angry, Geo was to the point of gritting his own chompers. Could this really be it for him? Helpless and overpowered by two different species that lived underground in the sewers? It seemed to be it for Geo…

.

.

.

That is… until some bit of hope had stepped in to intervene.

Hearing someone in the distance build up their anger, the raccoon suspiciously looked around its surroundings. It sounded like nobody but the rodent himself to him. Unbeknownst to the two species that lived under the ground, one of them was in for a little surprise.

From a fast poke into the coon's tush, it was enough to get him to yell and send him airborne for a quick second. It threw everyone involved off their guard, especially Geo. This was his chance to whip up a diversion that'll help him out. Noticing the distraction in the snake's eyes, the little rodent himself took his chompers to his tail. Biting down as hard as he can, it caused the snake to spaz out from startlement. His swift movement threw Geo into a wall, before sliding down it not long after.

Stars swirled around his head as if he was dizzy. After a moment to collect himself and regain his consciousness, the next thing his eyes landed his leering on a bird standing in front of him. With a definite, but fierce and determined expression in his face, Geo was definitely in delight to see the one and only bird he knows and cares about.

Walt. He even snagged the earring they need to return to Leni.

"Hooray!" Geo uttered in a cheerful delight. "Thanks so much for rescuing me!"

"I'm pretty sure I've heard this somewhere before." Walt responded, flying over the sewer water. "But there's no time to decipher references. There's less than fifteen minutes to spare, and we need to get to the-"

 _ **SPLASH!**_

As they least expected to happen, the spread of flailing water startled the yellow bird, causing him to lose his grip on the earring. An alligator popped up out of the blue, chomping down on the earring before it descended back into the water.

"Oh come on!" Geo angrily spat.

Walt was just as mortified as the hamster. He turned to him and engaged in a quick discussion. "You know, instead of those cruddy girls sending us out here over a stupid earring, whatever happened to just… oh I don't know… spending money on another pair?"

Geo extended his paws out. "That's exactly what I said!"

Walt glanced down at the water. "After we're through with this, they better reward us for doing this risky business."

Folding his arms, Geo responded with fierce. "For once, I have to agree with you on that."

Walt sighed for a moment. "Now, as much as I really don't want to do this, let's track down that son of a cayman!"

Geo was immensely stumped. "...I'm sorry, what?"

"It's another word for gator. You're not the only one who's been a victim to science experiments against their will in this family."

Looking back for a second in realization, Geo concluded with "Oh, yeah. Now come on, let's ride!"

Landing in front of the hamster, the bird retorted. "Whoa whoa whoa, you my friend are sorely mistaken if you think I'm gonna carry you around this dump. What do you think I am? Some mumbling companion that shoots eggs out of my butt, has a sticky frog tongue, eat anything I desire and get betrayed at any chance possible over their skewed priorities?"

Geo was speechless for a second. He had no idea what to respond to that sentence, other that "Then… let's roll… I guess?"

Walt sinisterly squinted his eyes halfway closed. He was onto something. It might actually even work. Who knows? "Actually, I've got an interesting idea." he spat. "Hear me out."

* * *

With just under ten minutes left to go before Leni's manager shift at the mall begins, game faces were painted on their faces. With a piece of string, a marrow bone, and swift speed, what more could that menacing alligator ask for? After Geo tied each ends of the string they conviently found after minutes of searching to the bone and Walt's talon foot, the bird gave an okay signal. Satisfied, Geo did the exact same thing.

It's time for them to take back what was once theirs to begin with.

Walt flew into the air as the bone dangled horizontally beneath him. Flying above the sewer water once more, the bird threw his taunts, in hopes to attract the attention of the gator that stole their earring.

"Hey gator breath!" Walt yelled out. "Come snag this! I haven't got all day here, you daring piece of-"

 ** _SPLASH!_**

Before the angry bird could finish his sentence, he had to gun it in a straight line. Dashing through the place, being chased down by the gator, tensions were clearly starting to rise. Coming up on the first turn, the bird made sure the proximity was tight before turning to his left. His unexpected move caused the gator to run right into a wall. The relentless reptile's snout was in pain, but it was able to brush it off as if it wasn't even a problem. Shaking his head, he continued to chase Walt down.

The lowlife animal had a priority of its own. It was after that bone, and he wasn't going to stop until it got a taste of that sweet marrow it obtained. Fixated, as if he was hypnotized somehow, it roared resoundingly. Approaching a second turn, Walt decided to take a right this time. After that move, he fell for the same mistake as the first time not long ago. Hitting his snout on the wall again, its pain started to develop more tremendously. Walt stopped moving, but still flying in the air. As much as he wanted to say he was surprised, he just couldn't.

"Are you kidding me?" Walt said to himself. "This is actually working?!"

The mean gator shook his head once more before charging at Walt with everything its got. The bird's heart pumped upon noticing the reptile heading his way again. He dashed as quickly as he could, trying to get away from that menacing animal.

"Bird! Hurry up!" Geo warned. "We don't have much time left!"

"I'm trying here!" Walt retorted distressfully.

The bird was unfortunately growing tired by the second. Speed downturned for the flying avian as the gator was able to catch up to him without a problem. If he ever got to that bone, it would be an indefinite game over for both of the pets.

Walt gulped looking back. "Come on…" he muttered. As his eyes came completely shut, not paying attention to anything surrounding him, he was lucky enough that Geo stepped in to take the gator out with his hammer.

 ** _BLAM!_**

That's a lot of damage. The hamster successfully put a blow on the alligator's noggin, influencing stars to circle around him and descend back into the water. Walt opened his eyes and turned around, approaching Geo. That was one heck of a close call for both parties. All that was left was the earring… if they'll ever get it back that is.

.

.

.

Nothing floated to the surface yet… until some bubbles finally reached to the top, followed by the earring they lost. They've done it. The bird and the hamster can say that they've accomplished something big today. Risking their lives for a trivial item and collaborated together to take out a dangerous species that lived in the stench-filled water. As Walt snagged it out of the water, he flew around in circles in joy. Geo jumped around in the same mood as the bird as they cheered on and concluded with a simple high five.

"I can't believe that actually worked!" Geo said.

"Me neither," Walt replied. "Now let's get out of here, and head onward to the mall!"

After Geo gave a nod, they sprinted to a nearby pothole to finally ascend from the reeking depths.

* * *

4:59 pm

"Leni, are you coming in here or not?" Fiona impatiently asked.

"J-just a minute!" Leni responded.

"But you said that you needed a minute ten minutes ago! How much more time do you possibly need? We've got things to do and I need you to instruct me on what you want me to do first."

Nervous, Leni kept trying to come up with more excuses. "Sorry. It's just that… I'm a little… a-anxious! Yeah, that's right!"

Rolling her eyes, Fiona replied with, "Can't say that I blame you." She left her be to go stocking. "I'll be in the back unloading these clothes."

Leni turned away from her co-worker before she waved. "Okay! Take your time!" she concluded.

Her gaze landed upon the irritated bird and the hamster from the house, soaked up and exhausted from the sewers. As she noticed her missing earring, her fake anxiety was dashed away.

"Thanks so much you guys!" Leni uttered, getting Geo and Walt to elicit a smile. "Your quest is now officially over."

"Oh thank goodness." Geo thought to himself, throwing his head down.

"And now, I present to you a new quest!" The fashionista giggled. "I hope you're just as excited as I am right now, cause I need your assistance!"

Eyes widened, Geo and Walt's heart jumped. With no break warranted, their excitement and relaxation were quickly dashed.

Here we go again.

* * *

 **~End~**


	33. Matadog

_Story 32: Matadog_

* * *

7:00 am

It was such a calm Saturday morning down in the good neighborhood of Royal Woods. With empty skies of cyan, only showing the sun, to the inaudible sounds of the neighbors, it was all quiet at a time like this. Some people may be up early for a morning jog, as others were still sound asleep in their home.

For once in a long while, Charles was in a slumber, resting alongside a bed that belonged to the middle child of the family, Lincoln. He missed having to sleep inside, he even begged the child to sleep with him again. It was all worth it though, never mind that it lasted for more than five minutes.

As Lincoln roused up from his bed, the small white pooch had a little dream. It was a playful one, where the dog himself was the master at what he did best: playing as… the "bull". While a dream like this wouldn't be much of a surprise to the other pets, it was one of the things that made him feel confident.

Such courage, such passion, all in one small package.

* * *

In a bullfighting rink, filled with a large crowd, Lincoln on the other hand, was the host. He began to break into detail about the event that's happening now.

"Alright everybody, that's enough chit-chat for now! It's time for the main event! Let's all put our hands together for, the courageous, Lana Loud!"

As the young tomboy herself, Lana took the center stage as she held on tight to a red blanket, people cheered her on in praise, shouting positive comments and throwing flowers all around just for her. The filthy twin herself gave a good bow to the immense amount of applause directed towards her.

"And now… let's get ready to fight! Send in the bull!"

Most of the people in the stands weren't ready for what they were about to witness with their own peripheral vision. Nevertheless, they'll hype anything if given the chance. As Charles, the "bull" himself began to charge in the ring, the standing ovation for the duo started skyrocketing into the stars. His majestic appearance had dazzled the stands. The animal did anything he could to give audiences a show they'd always cherish in their minds.

Lana the matador waved the blanket around, in hopes to fixate the dog's mind on a source of warmth.

"Toro, Charles! Toro, toro!" the child gladly spat at the top of her lungs. She was easily able to catch her pet's attention with ease. Already having the matador as his priority, Charles pawed at the dirt, and snorted before he charged at her soon after. Lana was definitely ready, the closer the dog got.

As she shifted her body towards the other direction while Charles passed her, she shouted "Ole!" Much to the crowd's delight, they yelled out in praise, showering the duo with more of their cheering. Impressions were being made.

The sounds of the affectionate reception in the dog's dream triggered his tail to wag around. It even put a little smile on his face. His face turned to a small shade of pink from the astonishing dream performance. It's almost like he doesn't want to put a stop to his dream anytime soon, given the fact that he may just be a lazy dog on the outside. Despite that, nobody would forget that soft spot he has on the inside.

Charles began panting as he glanced at a portion of the observing audience. It didn't take him long to pretend to look to his left and right just to elicit a good laugh from the crowd. And as expected, they did. Already fooled once, there was shame to pretend to inflict on the child. Given that it was the dog's dream to begin with, the child simply brushed that aside.

"Toro, boy!" Lana said, waving her blanket once again to her right.

Catching Charles' attention again, the pup sprinted towards her again. This time, as the dog was only a few feet away, the filthy matador swiped the blanket to the other direction, the dog passing her once again as it revealed a bouquet of white roses.

The white pup took notice, fixating his vision onto the flowers. He stopped to take in a little whiff of them as the crowd lended yet another hand to the two once again. Charles was extremely happy in his own little fantasy where he and the plumber and avid animal nurturer A quick sneeze from the little animal later, Lana whistled before she called out to him, in hopes to get his undivided attention again for possibly one more round.

"Toro Charles!" she spat, moving the blanket around for the third time in a row. "Come 'n get it!"

Shaking his head, Charles paid the kid some attention. He was ready for yet another round with the kid. Pawing down on the dirt, the dog gave her everything he's got. With a low audible growl, he charged at the kid at top speed.

This was the closer.

Preparing herself, Lana got herself a good stance, continuing to motion the blanket around as the dog approached closer and closer to her. The crowd's chatter audibly got dwindled as the possible last standoff was heightened to a good extent. Whether everyone at the event was ready or not, it was time to give the audience something to remember and cherish for a long while.

When Charles was only a few feet away, distanced from the Loud that had a passion for plumbing, stink, and animals, Lana jerked the blanket to the other direction, making the dog crash into a stack of waffles with bacon on top. Rolling for a bit before coming to a stop, Charles began his exuberant reaction to noticing breakfast, surrounding the pup on all sides. Panting and a frantic tail wag in, he let out a happy little bark before he immediately dug in.

.

.

.

As the finale was completed. Lana gave herself a bow as the crowd cheered the two on. Happy from the performance, Charles ran to the child and knocked her down to the ground. His slobbering tongue provided several licks to her face. Reactions shifted from happy to warming hearts of thousands. It was definitely something to cling to and have on everybody's minds for a while. Everybody had a good time, and so did Land and her best friend, Charles.

The duo got up from the ground. The child, wiping Charles' slobber off her face before she waved and yelled "Thank you everybody!" as Charles included in an excited howl.

"Everybody! Let's all give it up for the great duo themselves: Lana, and-"

* * *

 ** _*BEEP, BEEP*_**

7:30am

The abrupt sound of Lincoln's clock awoken the dream-filled pup. Looking around for a few seconds, Charles irritably closed his eyes halfway. Now that he could barely even remember what happened in his dream anymore, there goes a reason to become such a grumpy little animal. Awakening to his feet. Charles let out a yawn before he slowly walked out of Lincoln's tight room.

The first thing he saw today was a blanket moving around in the hallway. Charles had himself thinking. Was he dreaming, or not? Nevertheless, confusion filled him. At the same time, he felt the urge to make a run for the blanket. As he ran to the blanket, he heard some voices.

"Hey Mom..., Do you need this blanket laid out for you somewhere?"

"Yeah honey, just bring it on down here, I need to wash it with some other stuff anyway."

When he jumped at the blanket, he didn't expect to run into someone who was standing right on the other side. That someone just happened to be Lincoln Loud himself. The impact and force the dog had, pushed him back a few steps, before he caught a grip on the blanket and unknowingly, the confused dog.

Unveiling the covers, Lincoln caught a glimpse of Charles as the dog would ultimately mimick the same actions as the boy. Both confused, the animal first tried to break the ice by letting out an tired, but baffled bark.

"Oh, sorry Charles. It'll take me a little while before I can get you your treats." Lincoln replied. "But I promise, I'll make this as quick as I can, alright?"

Charles concluded the conversation by rolling his eyes and irritably glancing at the reader. So much for having a dream come true.

* * *

 **~End~**


	34. Pain In The Chest

_Story 33: Pain In The Chest_  
~idea by TheStoryImage~

* * *

4:00 pm

Lincoln groaned. "This stinks."

It's finally an inevitable Friday afternoon as the whole family's out and about having their fun. Ten sisters, two parents, and one less family member making a trip to witness a brand new movie that everybody's been raving about for weeks on end. As poor old Lincoln was left behind in his room, face polished in light red, thanks to his burning cold in his chest, he glanced over to the reader to explain his unfortunate situation.

"As you all may have known already, my— _cough_ —family's out to watch some movie that everyone's talking about. It's got such a long title that I... can barely remember what it was. I'm surprised that even my older sisters wanted to tag along."

That movie in question was "Pretty Pink Cupcakes in Rainbow Land". He was right about a long title, but it was also supposed to be a girly movie that literally anybody could enjoy. A movie about anthropomorphic food in an imaginary land making memories of a lifetime? What more could anybody want… for those that's not an adult. Did this really have to happen to Lincoln? Having to stay in bed with a cold in his chest while Clyde kindly takes his place, and miss out on the movie that's been on everyone's minds for a while?

"I really hope my family's really gonna enjoy that— _cough_ —movie. It's a real bummer that I somehow got this chest cold. If Lola would've butted out just for one night, I probably wouldn't have been in this— _cough_ —predicament. But for now, I have to… lie here and wait until my sisters and my parents come home in about an hour and a half from now."

The company that made the movie must have worked their butts off with the advertising to get everybody's curiosity to peak to its highest extent. To which case it did. Everyone in the Royal Woods area seemed to gather tickets to see the very first airing that started an hour from now. By the time everyone's probably arguing over snacks, candy and drinks, Lincoln lied back in his bed, letting out a disappointed sigh as he placed his gaze on the ceiling above.

A few minutes later, Charles walked inside the boy's compressed room. A little whine later, he caught Lincoln's attention. Did he think the dog wanted something from him? Maybe it could be another refill in his doggy bowl? Maybe it could be a treat, despite getting one just last night? The answer to that was simple. His whining didn't sound like begging or demanding. Instead, it was a whine for sympathy. He felt sorry for him.

Lincoln shifted his body to the right as he glanced over to his frowning hound as he drooped his ears down slightly.

"Oh, hey Charles," Lincoln said. "You want something?"

Charles shook his head.

"C'mon boy, you gotta be in here for something…"

...But Charles didn't want anything. He just felt bad about his sudden sickness. If anything, he just wanted to bunk with him for a little while so the kid would have some bit of company. If he really wanted to be alone at such short notice, he'd gladly obey his wishes.

"Oh… I see," Lincoln uttered. "Well— _sniff_ —if you don't mind, I'll just be alone for a while…"

Sympathy perked up even more. Charles was sad for the poor child. Surely he wanted to do something for him to help him out in any way. The dog was thinking now. Scratching at his canine head, he figured a simple bowl of soup would soothe that cold of his.

Making his way down the stairs and entering the kitchen, Charles jumped up on the side of the countertop. Struggling to lift himself up on top, he pushed himself up on a drawer to help give him a boost. He was on top now. Progress was already made in such a short time.

As the dog was about to open the cabinets, the cat of the family called out to him.

"Eh, what's up dawg?" Cliff uttered, curious to know what's going on.

"Eh, what's down wit' youse, makin' dat looney reference?" Charles uttered back.

The cat shrugged. "Nothin' much." Still fixated on the hound, he wanted to make a small request. "Hey, while yer up dere, ya mind tossin' down a can of Meow Mix? I'm cravin' em fer sum reason 'n I dunno why."

Charles opened the cabinet, grabbed the cat's requested item and tossed it down. "Yeah sure."

Cliff swiftly licked his lips as he caught the can. "Thank ya kindly."

Walt and Geo came into the scene not long after. Despite their curiosity, they also wanted to make their request as Charles switched his gaze over to the hamster.

"You don't happen to have those little carrot sticks up there somewhere right?" Geo asked, as the dog put his gaze on the bird.

"I don't want anything," Walt said. "I have like a crud-ton of birdseed in my house outside and I'm just curious to know what's happening here."

Charles groaned, grabbing a small pack of carrot sticks from the cabinet. He tossed them down to the hamster before they hit his face, knocking him off his feet.

"Hey!" the hamster irritably uttered.

Charles being the savage animal that he is, simply shrugged it off. "Anyway, da boy's sick upstairs in his room and I feel real bad fer 'em." He grabbed a can of soup. "So I figured, why not whip up somethin' fer him ta chow down on? Ya know, ta help 'em get bettuh?"

"Oh yeah," Cliff said, with his mouth full. "I remembuh overhearin' da kids talkin' 'bout him." He gulped his food down. "Didn't dat filthy kid get sick not too long ago after she was playin' mud wit' ya in da rain?"

"I remember that part all too well." Geo said. "But really, what did anyone expect?"

"I'm surprised that didn't affect the mutt and the puss." Walt added, much to the annoyance of Charles and Cliff.

The feline retaliated as he flicked a piece of his cat food at the bird. It slightly missed him as it was off course. Deciding to mock the cat, Walt shut his eyes and blew a raspberry. What he never saw coming was getting struck by another bag of carrot sticks, grounding him by Charles. Shaking his dizzy head, Walt got back up on his feet.

"One of these days, I swear..." Walt mumbled to himself.

Charles tampered with the stove, causing a flame or two to surprise him as he jumped back from the blazing heat. All he needed now was a pot to warm the canned content.

"Alright now," Charles uttered, in confidence. "Let's get ta cookin'."

"I got a bad feeling about this." Walt said, squinting his eyes.

The bird was somewhat suspicious. He had every right to be, considering what Lincoln's done to everyone in the house before, including the animals. This wouldn't be the first time the kid would manipulate his sisters or his pets for his own personal gain. What if getting sick was just an elaborate trick up his sleeve?

"What do ya mean, bird?" Cliff asked.

"I don't think it's really that necessary for us to go through all this trouble just to do something nice for the boy," Walt said. "I mean, it's like giving up your time to do whatever the heck you want for someone else. When you start catering to him, even when it's a one time thing, then he'll definitely start relying on you to do stuff for him. And the cycle repeats on and on, and THAT'S NOT FAIR!"

"But what kinda pets are we ta just watch him suffer like dat?" Charles said. "He was dere fer me when I needed him in dis house, and I'd be darned if I nevuh got ta return da favor."

"I can tell this is going to end badly…" Geo uttered.

Cliff shifted his vision back and forth on the dog and the bird. He felt conflicted with who to side with in a situation such as this. "...Alright I'm not sayin' I agree wit' da dawg on dis, but I'm sayin' I don't agree wit' da bird eithuh." he said.

"Well den, whose side are ya on?" Charles irritably asked, his eyebrow raising swiftly along with Walt. With the way the dog asked, Cliff definitely knew they would demand an answer out of him. The cat gulped.

"Ehh… I tink I'd rather sit dis one out."

"Yeah, me too." Geo quickly added.

"Well too bad," Charles said. "Yer all on my side wit' dis. Dere ain't no way yer gonna taint yer morality ovuh dis."

Much to the annoyance of the other pets, Cliff, Geo and Walt ultimately groaned. As much as they didn't want to get dragged into this predicament, they had no choice. They all agreed to help the sick boy out, never mind his selfish personality with the family. It was the right thing to do after all.

A few minutes later, the dog of the family grabbed a hold of the handle by his teeth, carrying the steaming pot of soup down to the floor. The others noticed the dog was struggling, but they can't seem to do anything to help since the pot was pretty hot to touch.

Out of sincerity, Cliff asked "...Ya need sum help dere, pal?"

"Eh, mo I got kis." Charles barely answered.

"If this is all for nothing, it's pretty obvious with what I'm gonna do." Walt said, being the angry bird he is.

"I'm deliverin' claws." Cliff added.

"I'm sending out my chompers!" Geo said.

"I runno arout rat ruys…" Charles said, almost fumbling the pot. The pets decided to follow him, in case he needed some help.

"Don't chatter as much," Cliff said to the pup. "We'll help ya if ya need it."

Two minutes in, the pets made their way into Lincoln's tight little closet. As the middle child just glanced to the side from quietly re-reading his comic again, he noticed the pets giving him a little surprise. With a bark, a peaceful meow and two skeptical looks from Geo and Walt, it put a thoughtful smile on his face.

"Wow. You guys didn't have to do that." Lincoln said. "I could've gotten up myself and made my own but that's— _cough_ —thoughtful of you guys."

Charles and Cliff smiled innocently while Walt and Geo rolled their eyes.

"If it's not much trouble, I could use something to satisfy my thirst…"

Glances were thrown towards each pet. As much they didn't want to do this for him, they just had to. It's what family's for.

Back in the kitchen now, suspicions arose in the bird's mind. As Charles opened the fridge to find Lincoln something to drink, Walt landed in front of the food inside it, trying to pause Charles in his place.

"Stop." the bird said.

"Ergh, what is it, bird?" Charles asked, as the cat and the hamster also paid the bird in mind.

Walt crossed his wings. "You don't hear what the boy just said? Now he's asking you guys to do something for him!"

"So?" Cliff said, chewing on more of his cat food. "S'wrong wit' dat?"

Walt groaned irritably. "You know what? I'm not in the mood to repeat myself again. But the minute that boy starts using you guys as his assistants, then don't say you didn't see any of this coming."

Before any of the pets could get a word out, the bird angrily stormed off.

"Hey, wait up!" Geo said, following Walt wherever he went.

"Wh-wait…" Cliff uttered.

"Hold on now…" Charles added. "You two get yer butts back here!"

Too late for Charles. They didn't come back. It was up to Charles and Cliff now. Unbeknownst to the two, the bird and the hamster had other plans to prove the cat and the dog wrong.

"I can't believe dey just did dat ta us." Cliff muttered.

"Oh, I'll show dem," Charles said, growling under his breath. "I'll show dem alright."

As the dog angrily grabbed some soda from the fridge, Cliff sighed. "As much as I really don't wanna choose sides here, I guess I'm stuck here wit' youse."

Charles patted the cat on the head. "I just wanted ta teach ya a ting about great morality, cat. We're just tryin' ta be good pets, loyal ta our own family 'n such. Ya know how much pain it'll put on our conscience if we just left him be?"

Cliff gulped. "Eh, I see yer little point dere. I can understand ya somethin' like dis." He shrugged. "What da heck. I don't suppose helpin' him out for a little while ain't gonna put a dent on us. He oughta feel bettuh eventually."

* * *

One Hour Later

"Charles! Where are you?!" Lincoln yelled.

His room was filled with loads of junk. The dog in question happened to walk into his room, wearing a collar. Cliff followed from behind, equipped with a bonnet and a duster. Yeah, this was getting ridiculous. They didn't look too pleased in the slightest. Those old sayings in life definitely came back to bite them back in their bum. If anything, this could prove that Walt was right about his suspicions all along. As long that this entire situation wasn't an elaborate scheme to manipulate his own animals, making them exert all of their efforts for nothing, then there wasn't a problem to be located.

The boy crossed his arms. "Oh, there you are! It's about time you got here! My charger over there isn't gonna slither itself over here."

Charles whined to Lincoln. He felt tired, and wanted some rest. That went for the cat as well.

Lincoln lifted his laptop up a little. "C'mon now, hurry up! The dang— _cough_ —battery's about to die here!"

The dog emitted a low growl, grabbing the kid's charger while Cliff leered at him. Putting the cord in his owner's hand, Lincoln spat a simple "Thank you." He plugged his computer up, finally getting some juice. Pushing his laptop away from him, Lincoln had another request to give out.

"Oh, and while you're still here Cliff, I hope you don't mind dusting off my screen?"

As Charles leered back at the cat, Cliff jumped up on the bed, dusting off particles off his laptop's screen. "I appreciate you doing that. Now I'm in the mood for some Mac 'n cheese balls. There should be some still in the fridge if nobody messed with them like the last time."

With an audible groan, Charles and Cliff left the room irritably. The moment that Lincoln was in the clear, he resumed playing around on his laptop.

Back in the kitchen, Charles and Cliff were understandably confused, yet furious at the same time.

"Dat tears it," Cliff spat. "Dis is gettin' ridiculous! Who does he think he is, havin' us be his service animals while he lazes about?"

"I don't unduhstand!" Charles said. "I thought family's supposed ta be about helpin' and takin' care of each othuh. I know he's sick and all, but I didn't count on gettin' used like dat! It's like dose badly executed episodes where a certain protagonist gets thrown around like a chew toy!"

After approaching the fridge, opening it up with his paw, Cliff faced the dog. "Da bird was right about him after all! I can't believe this!"

Walt and Geo approached the dog and the cat now. With the smirks on their faces, they couldn't help themselves but rub their situation in their faces.

"Ha. Didn't I tell you guys?" Walt said.

"Now's not da time fer ya ta rub it in our faces." Charles said. "I'm so upset!"

"What are we gonna do?" Cliff worriedly asked, stuffing his face back into some more cat food.

Charles placed his paws over his head. "Are we gonna be reduced ta livin' in such a terrible nightmare?!"

"I have no idea." Geo answered. "But do you want to know how you can break free from all of this?"

A short glance, Charles got on his knees, along with Cliff. "Oh please!" the dog said.

"Anythin'!" the cat added shortly after. Walt left them be to retrieve an item.

Geo threw in a catch. "First off, would you promise me to take over my playtime with the baby of the bunch for the next couple of days?"

Cliff groaned. "Aw c'mon! Don't make us do dat!"

Charles crossed his arms. "Yeah! Last time we took over fer ya, she farted in mah face!"

Cliff pointed at himself. "She blamed me fer peein' on da couch!"

Walt rolled his eyes. "Alright, are you guys just making these excuses up? I don't remember the babbling baby doing anything like that."

"How would ya know? You weren't dere!" Cliff uttered back, justifying their words.

Geo barely shook his head. "Eh, I don't care. Would you do this for me or not?"

The question had the two animals thinking together. Before they would give an answer, Lincoln called out to them. He really wanted his request completed as soon as possible.

"Hey! Charles! Cliff!" the boy yelled, with a snappish attitude. "What's taking so long?!"

The dog and the cat looked back to Geo. "Alright, we'll take it!" Charles said, voice breaking.

"Just help a brudder out here fer pete's sake!" Cliff added. They were really desperate.

Hitting the expectations the hamster needed, Walt came back with a tape recorder, breaking down the details on what they've done on their part. With a little determined smile, he let his beak do all the talking.

"Alright, so while you two were here in the kitchen, grabbing yet another plastic cup for the boy to drink out of, we decided to do some detective work." he said.

"We set up a tape recorder that we took from the scientist's room and found some bit of spicy content," Geo added. "But trust me, you don't wanna know what was already on it before we did the recording."

Walt twitched his eye. "It sounded scarring to my fragile little-"

"Yeah yeah, get on wit' dis already!" Charles spat impatiently.

"We haven't got all day ya know." Cliff added. Immediately after, the cat felt like he was about to puke. As he rushed out the doggy door, Walt pressed the play button on the device.

"Just listen..." he said.

 _"Yeah, I did." Lincoln laughed. "I only faked being sick so I could get out of that movie, so I'll have some time to chat with you! And I can't believe I pulled it off!"_

Charles gasped. He was speechless. The dog's hard effort, all into good waste of his time.

 _"You did that too? Wow! Have I influenced you a lot lately? I've never thought you'd… well given your unique personality, I could totally see you doing that."_

The dog was growling now. Cliff walked back in through the doggy door, curious to know what was happening.

 _"Alright now, I guess I'll chat with you later, I guess I'll just go online, checking out some more of these sweet deals they have on these strips, and have some leftovers."_

The recorder's play button popped back up. That was all that was recorded on the tape.

The cat stripped his bonnet off his head as he wiped his mouth off. "Did I miss somethin' here?" Cliff asked.

"Ya mean ta tell me… dat all dis overwhelmin' bidness we took care of fer mah boy was all just a ruse?!" Charles angrily spat.

"I'm… pretty sure we can't make that any clearer…" Geo answered.

"Way to dupe yourselves ya big dumbos." Walt spat, closing his eyes as he smirked. "This wouldn't have happened if you would just heed my little advice."

Cliff squinted his eyes. As much as they were infuriated, the bird was right. If Lincoln could manipulate any of his siblings in the family just so he could get his way, there was no stopping him from giving the pets the same exact treatment. If anything, he'd do it to just about anybody, if given the chance.

"I hate ta say dis bird, but yer right." Charles uneasily admitted. "Who knew dat mah boy could be such a lazy, manipulative jerk?"

"I say, we get 'em back fer dis!" Cliff suggested sinisterly.

"I second dat, cat." Charles agreed. "It's time fer revenge!"

"Ooh, might I join?" Geo asked.

"Count me in too you guys," Walt said. "I've got an interesting idea…"

* * *

Thirty Minutes Later

The second Vanzilla pulled up in the driveway, the pets' plan had just begun. As Lincoln decided to leave his room to do his business, the boy approached the bathroom door opening it. He was met with an ticked off Geo and Cliff. Just the sight of them threw Lincoln off guard. The hamster twisted a faucet knob, as the cat adjusted the pipes, spraying water all over the unsuspecting middle child as it washed away the red on his face. Knocked down from the huge blast of fluids as it cleared up, Lincoln was baffled.

"What the heck was that about?!" the boy asked.

Walt flew around the boy with a half pound worth of powder, fogging the hallway up with its dense clouds. Lincoln ducked for cover, thinking the bird would attack him. What he didn't count on was Charles coming from behind him, literally kicking him on the butt. The force was accurate to the point it sent him tumbling down the stairs, right in front of the door.

The poor boy didn't even get a chance to react as his gaze caught a glimpse of the moving front door. Open all the way, there were twelve mouth agape family members staring down at the fallen boy as they gasped. They hoped he had an explanation to how all of this went down.

 _"Huh?"_

 _"Whoa!"_

 _"Wow..."_

 _"What the..?"_

 _"Oh my..."_

"Okay, what happened in here hon?" Rita asked, understandably suspicious.

"Why are you literally soaking wet?" Lori added, causing Luan to snort and giggle.

Lincoln sweated a drop. He had to try to the best of his ability to come up with a way out of this one at such short notice.

"H...how was the movie?" Lincoln nervously asked.

"It was terrible!" Lola answered.

"Huge waste of our time dude." Luna added.

"You guys, it wasn't that bad…" Leni sincerely said.

"We can discuss more about this later," Lynn Sr. said, before turning to Lincoln. "I wanna know what happened while we were gone!"

Lincoln was pretty much in a stump. Even though he knows that this was all the pets' doing, there's a high chance that nobody would believe a single word he would say.

"I…" Lincoln barely uttered, before simply giving up, planting his face on the carpet.

The pets managed to accomplish something today. Each side learning their valuable lesson left and right. The pets came together as one. Charles and Cliff gave high fives as Walt landed on Cliff's head.

"Looks like dat dam a his should be leakin' any second now." Charles quietly spat, looking at the reader. With a wink and a smile, he simply chuckled.

* * *

 **~End~**


	35. Don't Worry, Be Angry

_Story 34: Don't Worry, Be Angry_

* * *

12:00pm

If memory served correct for the four pets, it was surprisingly a gloomy Wednesday afternoon down in the residence of Royal Woods. Some light rain pelted the houses and the streets along with a few distanced thunderclaps. This type of weather alone would set up an interesting situation that tend to spark some bit of drama in the house.

A growl omitted for a quick second. Wonder who would've sparked that? The answer to that wasn't from the cat, the hamster, or even the mutt. It was from the angry bird himself. Walt. In the kitchen, when the pets sans Walt made a disproportionate mess on the floor, the bird inevitably lashed out.

"Can't you guys do a simple task right?!" he angrily spat. "I can't believe this!"

Walt pointed to the cat. "You. Clean up this mess!"

"Alright?" Cliff responded. As the cat zipped out to grab a broom, he shifted to the dog. "You. Put that slobbering tongue of yours to work!"

"Alright alright!" the dog responded, as the cat got to sweeping. While Charles was quivering and terrified out of his mind, licking the kitchen floor, he then shifted to the hamster. "And you. Wipe that surprise off your face!"

"Okay, geez!" Geo uttered uncomfortably.

Walt smacked his wing on another. He was growing more serious at the second. "C'mon! Let's go! Move it!"

Not long after, the titular pets were in the living room. Walt snoozed in his bird cage as Charles and Cliff played a simple game of catch. Before the dog could throw the baseball, he was involved in a heated argument with the fuzzy feline.

"No, I'm da one pitchin' dis ting first, you be da catchuh!" Charles spat.

"How come you get ta pitch first?" Cliff spat in a hostile environment. "I was da catchuh da last time!"

Walt irritably opened his eyes. Hostility filled him while he closed his eyes halfway as the two animals threw their arguments around.

Geo was understandably concerned. "You guys…"

"It's my turn ta kick tings off!" Cliff spat.

"Heh, you wish." Charles retorted.

Cliff extended his paw out, curling it up numerous times. "Just toss da ball ovuh here mutt, if ya know what's good fer ya."

Quick to getting tormented, Charles was real mad. His eye twitched before he pitched the ball towards the feline at fast speeds. Cliff ducked with his swift reflexes as the ball missed, slamming into the pole holding Walt and his cage. It inevitably toppled over, throwing the bird out of his cage, beak first into a small jar of black ink.

The pets were in shock, especially the dog, considering what led to this result. Walt was definitely fuming with anger. As they stood there, watching Walt's face turn a shade of red as he got his beak out of the jar, the bird walked next to a slip of paper, using his inked beak to write. A moment later, the bird crumpled it up into a ball and threw it towards Charles, softly hitting him on the head before flying off upstairs.

The dog opened the slip of paper out of curiosity and read what it depicted. "How dare you, ya… son of..."

Charles gasped. He witnessed something… inappropriate. When Cliff and Geo joined in, their reactions quickly replicated the canine's. They couldn't believe what the bird wrote down.

"Wowza…" Charles uttered uneasily.

"Such foul language…" Cliff reacted.

"I never thought the bird could write…" Geo added.

"Neither did I." Charles added. "Why would he call me dat?"

Cliff tilted his head. "Er I dunno dog," he responded. "...Maybe he tinks ya got a lil' fenimine side of ya in dere?"

Rolling his eyes, trying to brush the insult aside, Charles recrumbled the paper back up. "Pffft. I ain't no… female dog!"

"Heh, sure." Cliff snarked.

"We have to do something about this you guys." Geo said, desperate to hatch a plan.

Nervous, Charles elicited a single gulp. "Eh, I ain't too sure 'bout dat."

"Yeah, ya know how ticked off dat bird is." Cliff added. "I'm a lil' scared just gettin' near him sometimes."

Charles extended his paw upward and to his right as if they were telling time. Lifting his right arm upward, the canine added "He's like a tickin' time bomb just waitin' ta explode at any second!"

* * *

 _A flashback ensued between the three pets. If their small dim memory served them correctly, the titular pets sat in front of the mother of almost a dozen siblings as she handed out pet treats to them. One for Charles, Cliff, and Geo… except for Walt. Before she could give one to the impatient bird, the telephone rang in the living room._

"Remember dat time where da bird blew a fuse ovuh not gettin' a treat?" Cliff said.

 _As the mother left to answer the phone, Walt had a shade of red taking over his face. It was almost like an act of jealousy, feeling isolated from the affectionate care of the human being. The bird started tweeting loud and clear, pushing his anger out on the other pets. The three could feel their hearts pounding just watching him lash out._

* * *

 _Another flashback came to their minds. This time, depicting Charles and Cliff pulling off a prank on Geo and Walt. The cat and the dog set up a simple trap on the front door, using only a bucket filled with honey, and hen feathers. They both snickered. This could be funny, if they manage to pull it off well. As Cliff whistled for the bird as Charles chattered for the hamster inside, both Walt and Geo entered the front door, only for the bucket to fall on them both, covering them with feathers and honey._

"I still remember dat time where da bird couldn't take a joke!" Charles said.

 _Walt lifted the bucket up not long after, revealing unimpressed, but ticked off expressions painted on their faces. Snickering and laughing ensued for the dog. It was worth the reaction the two animals got in response. The bird's face turned red once again, before Cliff picked him up, slurping the sticky contents off of him. After the feline licked his lips, Walt bit his nose. Cliff meowed in great pain, spazzing his paws as he inadvertently swatted the bird off of him._

* * *

Cliff rubbed his nose, remembering the painful incident. "Yeah! Whaddup wit' dat?"

Geo rolled his eyes in concern. "I'm pretty sure you two are overreacting." Geo said confidently. "I might suggest that we give the bird some space. Eventually he'll conquer that short temper of his and this will all blow over."

The dog scratched his head. A possible explanation for the bird's behavior had its answer revealed. It was only a matter of time to see if Geo's suggestion would be confirmed. "Ya might have a point dere, Ham."

Cliff sighed. He wasn't too comfortable with the suggestion. He would complain about it, but who knows? A potential plan such as this is worth trying out. "It's worth a shot, I suppose," the cat uttered uneasily. "It was nice knowin' y'all."

Fifteen Minutes Later

Putting the hamster's idea into working order, Charles, Cliff, and Geo distanced themselves from the angry avian. Nervous thoughts peaked immensely after each passing second in the mind of the black feline and the white canine. This plan could work out well, but then again, it might not. They would never know if they didn't do it.

Simply sitting in front of the television, relaxing their bones on the family couch, they glued their peripheral vision on the screen. It only broadcast a movie, which had an innocent genre when kids alike would enjoy watching. The problem is, the television was too quiet. Despite the volume being only twenty percent, the three pets couldn't hear a word the characters were saying.

Charles was the one most confused out of the three. "Hey, what's goin' on here?" he said.

Cliff shrugged. "Beats me, dog." he responded, just as baffled. "We've used da same settin' ev'rytime we kick back 'n unwind watchin' dis here junk."

"Well, turn up the volume?" Geo suggested.

"Right, I-I knew dat." Charles replied, picking up the remote and increased the volume.

They can hear the movie just fine now. With clear dialogue and some nice background music to set the mood, satisfaction soon overcame the three animals. Smiles were present in the living room floor. There was nothing else to do from there. Everybody was free to chill and watch the entertainment.

"Ah. Now dat's more like it." Cliff said, crossing his legs and putting his paws behind his head.

"Ain't dat right." Charles added, crossing his paws.

For a few seconds, everything was perfect the way it was. Relaxing on the couch as the movie kept rolling, it was a simple dream to mark off the bucket list for the pets. Nothing could turn this situation bad in a split second.

Unbeknownst to the three, Walt flew in the living room, intent to search for something to his desire. What he and the others wasn't expecting to occur as he flapped his wings, was the television volume blaring a commercial for a sale on appliances. Startled by the loud noise along with the unsuspecting animals, Walt dive bombed into the green carpet next to the couch.

"Whoa, turn down the volume!" Geo yelled.

"Meow, how ironic of youse ta spit dat out!" Cliff responded, while Charles muted the television's volume.

To the pets' surprise, a very irate Walt flew on top of Geo's transparent ball. Shades of red covered his entire body. He was really mad, shaking his clenched wings as if they were fists. It's like he was about to explode in front of the quivering pets.

"How dare you!" Walt spat loudly, much to the pets' horror.

"Whoa dere, bird," Charles unnervingly said. "Are ya alright!?"

Walt really wasn't in the mood for small talk. "Don't talk! I'm tired of you guys tormenting me with those dumb actions of you three!"

"What?" Geo said, as if he took offense. "How come I'm dragged into this?"

Walt flapped his wings in the air, still holding on to his irate tone. "Everytime you guys ignore me and get me hurt in some way, I'm always getting all riled the heck up!"

The bird pointed to the dog. "A small mutt such as you shouldn't be so dim-witted and chubby."

"'Scuse youse?!" Charles spat, taking offense.

He then shifted over to Cliff. "A puss such as you shouldn't be so selfish and uncaring to others!"

"W-well!" Cliff nervously uttered.

"Now bird, we had no idea you were in this room!" Geo irately said, quivering.

The bird finally tirned to Geo, getting in his face. "And you, I've taken so much attitude from others in this house, but I'm not going to take any crud from you!"

"I-I… I'm sorry!" Geo reacted, on the verge of shedding tears. "I didn't know you... f-felt that way!"

A few sniffles in, Geo stormed off into the kitchen. As much as they felt the offense delivered from the bird of the family, Charles and Cliff had to do something. Witnessing the hamster getting his feelings hurt, they decided to stand up for themselves together. Walt wasn't the only one dealing with a lot of attitude thrown at them wherever they were. They needed to lay a reminder on the bird once and for all.

"Hey!" Charles uttered, growling at the insensitive bird. "Ya can't talk ta Ham like dat!"

"Yeah! Who da heck do ya tink ya are?!" Cliff irately added. "Believin' dat yer so entitled that yer allowed ta treat us like trash."

"And that's supposed to be _my_ fault?!" Walt spat.

Charles raised his voice progressively. "Who controls what ya do? Who controls what ya say?" he said. "It's all youse and youse alone, bird fer brains!"

"...Reiterate again?" Walt said, his tranquil fury immensely building inside. "You say that one more time, and I'll give you what for faster than you can let your screech and howls escape from your dumb mouths!"

Wanting to put the angry bird in his place, Charles and Cliff had to set him off right then and there. "I said bird fer brains, We ain't gonna put up wit' ya if yer gonna keep mistreatin' us like dat!"

Those three insulting words were all it took to set Walt's anger completely out of line. His body turned visibly red in front of the cat's and dog's eyes. Clenching his teeth, putting lots of pressure on them as his eyes swiftly slammed shut, his beak exhausted some small clouds like a train whistle. He was real mad, and the final straw was getting stood up by a prissy feline and a playful pooch.

"THAT'S IT!" Walt intensely roared, his voice nowhere near a normal tone. Barely putting in any time to even think, the provoked avian himself stormed directly at a quivering Charles and Cliff at high speeds.

Maybe standing up to an angry animal wasn't the smartest idea...

A loud meow and a yelp almost immediately, the two stormed off, parting their ways before Walt could attack them. The bird slammed face first into the couch, recovering almost in an instant. He was out for some prey, and he wasn't going to stop until he took the two down.

With a small growl, heading after the dog, Walt uttered "Come back here!"

"Yipe!" Charles uttered, running away from Walt to the best of his agility. Already in the kitchen interior, Walt dive bombed right into the pooch. A poke inside the dog's circular spot had the dog jump and elicit a painful howl.

 _Bullseye!_

The dog slammed into the door, leading to the back porch. His trajectory was thrown off course thanks to the bird. Stars floated around his dizzy canine head before Walt went after the cat, who was still wandering around aimlessly in the living room. Thinking he was safe at such short notice, Cliff emerged from under the couch. Shaking off a couple dust particles, the cat searched his left and right for the bird, who was unfortunately, staring right at his exposed self.

Without given a chance to move, Walt charged full force as the cat ducked and ran off. The angry bird wasn't too pleased with that move Cliff just pulled off.

"Stay right where you are!" Walt angrily spat, chasing after the scaredy cat. "Do you think I'm done with you?!"

"Yaaah!" Cliff nervously spat.

Before the cat even knew it, Walt was now in close pximity with him. Ingenuity filled the cat at the last second as all he had to do was one simple thing. Heading inside Lincoln's room, Cliff shut the door as fast as he could. Luck would be on the feline's side. Walt failed to get in. Eyes wide open, Walt was even more angrier. He had to find a way to get the mangy cat back. Storming off to an open window in another bedroom, the cat was in the clear... for now.

Cliff brushed off his forehead. "Phew," he uttered, standing on his hind legs, appearing as if he's an anthropomorphic animal. "I thought I was a goner for a sec-"

 ** _*CHOMP*_**

 _"MEOWWWW!"_

Much to the unsuspecting surprise of the cat, Walt found an alternative. Biting down on Cliff's tail, the cat was in the air for a few seconds. His legs spazzed out before he landed abruptly on the carpet floor. Walt let go of his tail now. It was throbbing red. Walt was satisfied, but not before laying another one on the cat before his job was done.

"There!" Walt spat. "Now I'm the one who's done with all of you guys! You have no power over me! I'm not the chew toy you dimwits think I am in this crazy house! Don't even bother wasting your time looking for me, because I. Am. Out of here!"

Storming off outside through the window, Cliff was now alone in the room. Charles walked in quivering. He had something to tell to the cat.

"I can't believe dat darn bird had ta cause us so much asunder between us 'n him." the dog spat.

"What… da heck… is his problem?" Cliff uttered.

"I dunno, but we've gotta settle this once 'n fer all."

Cliff's ears flopped. "How are we gonna do dat, dog?" He rolled his eyes. "The last ting he told me was not ta come lookin' fer him."

The dog shook his head. "We tried givin' da bird some space, 'n look where dat got us."

The cat sighed. "Well, dere's only one ting left fer us ta do."

"Apologizin'?"

"Nah, talkin' tings out. Dat's one ting dat bird needs ta get through his head."

Charles shrugged. "While I do agree wit' ya, it's worth a shot."

After a couple seconds trying to recuperate, Charles and Cliff calmly left the bedroom.

* * *

Inside the birdhouse, Walt angrily looked down. The yellow avian himself wasn't too pleased with himself, knowing that he had to express his anger wherever he went. Whether it was another animal, or an innocent human being, there was no trace that led to what the angry bird had to do. While trying to calm himself down, an irate Cliff and Charles followed him to his birdhouse without any warning whatsoever. Desperate to spark a conversation, the feline climbed up the tree and observed the bird, faced away at a wall. As the bird breathed slowly, in hopes to descend his stress and mood, the cat was understandably worried.

Curious, Cliff asked the bird in the sake of sincerity, "Alright bird, what's da matter wit' youse? Da attitude, da insults, all dat. Why ya gotta keep lashin' out at us?"

It was eerily silent for a brief moment. As Walt took in a deep breath before he exhaled soon after, the bird lifted his head and began to spit out some words.

"You wanna know why I'm so angry with everybody all the time?" he asked. "You wanna know what made me the way I am?"

The piercing question had the cat's eyes wide open along with the dog. This could be one of the most interesting depths that was about to unveil. When Cliff jumped down from the tree, the bird turned around and flew outside of his birdhouse before landing in front of the tree. He shifted his gaze between the two animals as he was about to ignite his explanation.

"I… just don't know how to explain it. It all happened so fast…"

* * *

 _A few years back, Walt was with a friend when they were just young. They sat around in a worn out bird's nest, they were spending their time practicing their singing._

"It all started with a session with my little friend."

 _The notes they've been hitting together were a little sour, but they were surprised to hear some improvements overtime. However, a complete stranger was irritated about their singing. As he burst through his windows in complete anger, he shouted "Hey! Stop it! Just stop! No more!"_

"Then, some dude had beef with us for no apparent reason. We didn't do anything to him, I don't know what the heck was his problem."

 _The two birds were confused, but understandably irate. As he closed the windows back, the two ignored the man and returned to their singing. There was no way they would let someone tell them what to do. Who does he think he is? The ruler of the world?_

 _Light winds started to settle in, adding much more tension to the situation. Tormented for the last time, the same man, now with a tennis ball, opened the windows again and threw the ball at the nest, causing their singing to be put to an abrupt halt._

"And then after that..., he really wanted to hurt us."

It bounced off the branches, shaking the nest until it fell apart, causing the two birds to fall twelve feet helplessly to the concrete below. The impact was rough, they could barely even move. As a matter of fact, they could barely move one of their wings.

 _After the irate stranger uttered "That oughta shut 'em up for good." he closed his window and returned to doing his work. Temporarily grounded, the two would already assume the worst. Walt's wing looked like it was scratched to the point where it slowly streamed out some blood while his friend's was completely broken._

"He destroyed our nest and almost cost us our lives. Could you really believe that? The nerve of some mean-spirited people in this crazy world. Our wings were badly hurt, we could barely even get off the ground!"

 _As if getting injured wasn't bad enough, the two were met with a vicious canine. It looked hungry, as if it hadn't eaten anything all day. With a clear, audible growl, the birds shook in great fear._

"To make things worse, it looked like we were goners after that."

 _As the canine charged towards them, Walt's friend attempted to take off, only for him to knock Walt into the tree and chase after the friend. As expected, the dog scooped Walt's injured friend into his mouth, chewing him up for a beat much to Walt's shock before it spat him out in front of it. As a truck passed by with a picture of a hot dog on the side, the dog took off running, trying to chase it down as he left the injured bird on the sidewalk._

 _Walt was completely speechless, fazed to what the heck just occurred in his peripheral vision just now. He was afraid. Very afraid, to the point where he started to quiver out of fear._

"That darn dog and that jerk face stranger almost cost me my friend. It's almost as if everyone was out to get us. And then…"

 _Stray cats._

 _They had almost the exact same intention as the dog they encountered just a minute prior. As hissing ensued, Walt took a few steps back, trying to keep his distance. Thinking he was about to be lunch for the pack of felines now, another bird, white, majestic and full of fierce landed in between. She spread her wings out, intent to defend her kind._

"I've never had anyone protect me like that before. She was like a mother. My innocent vision had never seen such care and loyalty. She was dedicated to protecting birds like us that she was not going to go down… without a fight."

 _The bird stared menacingly at the pack of cats. No matter what any one of the felines did, she wasn't planning on moving a single inch from the spot she is at now. As great vitriol became more present for the cats, one of them decided to charge at the bird, only for her response to be multiple pecks to their noses. She kept at it for seconds that felt like minutes as she avoided their sharp claws. Not long after, an ambush was attempted. Forming a ball of violent clouds, The injured yellow avian slightly opened up his mouth. His pupils slightly shrunk, his legs once again quivering around._

 _When the clouds finally cleared up, the aftermath revealed both parties, critically wounded from the menacing fight. The bird, who risked her life to protect Walt from getting attacked, now has something in common with his friend. Injured._

"Of course... she was injured from the brawl too." Walt uneasily said.

 _As the cats scattered away, unaware that they just mauled another species, the white bird just laid there, unable to move around from the concrete sidewalk. Scratches were present just above her stomach, though she was lucky enough they weren't fatal. Walt had no idea what to do from there. Witnessing two of his own kind getting abused by different species around him injected a chill up his soul. Sadness ensued for the yellow avian. He limped over to the bird that sacrificed herself for him and stared at her motionless body._

Walt's voice began to break as he progressed through his story. "She may not be gone, but she was... to the point where she felt like she was in such a deep slumber, with barely a chance of waking back up again."

 _Shedding a single tear, Walt couldn't help but hug the white avian. He felt it was necessary to repay her for saving his life, but this was the best he could do. Not long after, Lincoln gasped as he found the young bird, comforting the heroic bird. He carefully picked Walt up and brought him back home._

 _"You guys! Walt's seriously hurt!" Lincoln yelled. "We gotta help him!"_

"But, ever since that boy took me with him back with the family, I have yet to see my hurt friend or the bird that saved me again."

 _Five Minutes Later_

 _The two were back at the house, in the living room now. As the concerned siblings surround the injured bird, Lori wrapped some bandages around the avian's wing._

"I just don't understand why... everybody would go out of their way... to attack us. We're just like everyone else in this world."

 _Luna petted him on the head with her index finger._

"I thought everyone was in this together, nice and kind. But my innocent mind was instantly shattered ever since that day happened. I felt like I was so traumatized… fearing for my short lifespan from the potential danger that could have taken me out."

 _As the bird was being nurtured, Walt thought about what it would be like, to stand up for himself, and to give others a taste of their own medicine. Overtime, his hurt, fragile expressions slowly shifted into anger. Oh yeah. He wanted to be just like that heroic bird. And it was all happening… right now._

As the avian's eyes squinted, he spat "And ever since then, this insane fate of mine had taught me some new emotions: rage… anger… vitriol… and hostility."

* * *

As Geo curiously joined in on the conversation, Charles and Cliff stared fixedly at the bird. He looked like he was about to break down at any second. A concerned glance later, they returned their undivided attention to the saddened avian.

Walt's voice began to break again as he continued to spill his words. "Well…—sniff—there you go. Now you guys know why I'm such a bitter animal towards you and everyone else surrounding me. I… figured that if anger was all that I could feel and... express it all the time, then everyone would know that I'm not the one to mess with. I've been holding this grudge for so long, wanting to give that jerk a piece of my mind. But now, I may never make that happen, so I seethe immensely just thinking about it. I later realized this cold and dark truth that life is mostly about this food chain… and everyone must fight and attack each other in order to survive this place…—sniff—and… and..."

In unnerving suspense, Charles, Cliff, and Geo all leaned in towards Walt. As tears started to stream down the bird's face, he immediately felt so broken. A sniffle after, he loudly spat at the top of his lungs, "WHY DOES IT ALL HAVE TO BE SO CRUEL?!"

The bird's last line hit everyone hard. Walt fell to the ground, hiding his face with his wings as he broke down crying on the grass. The other pets were shocked and surprised to see a turnabout such as this. Their sadness peaked immensely just watching Walt burst into tears. Not once have they witnessed a tough and angry bird like him getting so emotionally depressed all of a sudden. With no idea on how to react, the other pets sympathetically threw their heads down. If there was a specific time that anyone could warrant some kind of comfort or a hug at a time like this, it would be absolutely necessary right about now.

Geo was the first to provide some comfort. Hopping out of his ball, he hugged him for a good moment as he provided some words, in hopes to heal him. "Aww, don't cry..." the hamster said. "It's gonna be alright. I'll be right here with you!"

While Walt got back up on his feet, Cliff was the next one to join in on the comfort. He petted him on the head. "Doan worry, bird. Da chain has no value between us. We're all in dis togethuh, like ya said to da very end!"

Charles was the last one to provide comfort. After a swift lick on the bird's cheek, he said "Ya doan hafta change yerself fer us. I love ya just da way ya are!"

Geo decided to give off some advice. "I know it's been pretty tough for us maturing in this place," the hamster said, patting the bird on the back. "But one day, you'll definitely get over that big meanie."

"After all, yer only hurtin' yerself if ya nevuh let him go." Cliff added.

"Da cat's right." Charles said. "It's a tough world out dere nowadays. I know dis might stir up a discussion, but havin' ta be nice 'n pure all da time just doesn't cut it fer some jerks. Sometimes, it's a-ok ta be angry and vent off yer frustrations in order ta make yerself feel better." The dog snuggled Walt's cheek. "But doan fret, we're all friends here! Nine times outta ten, we'll always be dere fer ya."

"Me too." Cliff added.

"Me three!" Geo added cheerfully.

Walt sniffled, and blushed. "Re-really? Aw, thanks you guys. I feel so... l-lucky to have you three become p-part of my life. I… l-l… l-love you guys so much."

After a touching sentence from the bird, the three pets resumed hugging the bird. That day, he realized that life isn't all that tough when he's surrounded by those who care. Taking the time to discuss certain topics and unveiling those hidden depths, there's a chance that friendships will develop and become stronger than ever. This was one of those special type of bonds, that will never ever be broken.

* * *

 **~End~**


	36. Bone Cold Truth

_Story 35: Bone Cold Truth_

* * *

3:00 pm

Ah, yes. It was that time of the day, yet again. Simple blue skies without a single cloud or a drop of rain in sight. For a typical Thursday afternoon, there was no doubt that anything could keep the family pets away from their eleven favorite playmates they'd never dare trade for the world. Given their unconditional love towards their human owners, who wouldn't want to spend time with them?

As the usual shtick goes in the big family, Charles, Cliff, Geo, and Walt sat comfortably on the living room couch. They all stared at the television screen as they patiently waited for the siblings to return home from school. As the screen displayed useless advertisements for minutes on end, the cat had the urge to break the silence. Bored out of his mind, Cliff grabbed a cube of ice and bit down on it like it was nothing, splitting the solid in two.

Charles took notice of this. "So… dis is how yer gonna start dis here episode, eh?" he curiously asked.

"At least I'm willin' ta break da ice here, not wind like youse," the cat responded.

Charles shook his head and shrugged. "I… so? Who cares about me doin' dat? It ain't like it's bad fer our health."

"You keep waking us up with your offensive fumes in the middle of the dang night." Walt spat.

"Dat ain't mah fault!" Charles retorted.

"Ya managed ta knock somebody out wit' dat big stink cloud o' yers, myself included!"

Crossing his arms, Charles retorted. "Well, he shouldn't have stood behind me den! And I know yer into mah stench yerself cuz I've seen ya holdin' yer nose shut several times."

Cliff's heart felt like it was going to drop. Chills filled him all over progressively. "Dat doesn't prove jack!"

"I don't know, I'm pretty sure it does," Walt added.

"Yer not helpin' bird!" Cliff said.

"He is ta me!" Charles responded, eyes on the cat.

"I'm sorry to butt in, but what's this have to do with anything?" Geo asked.

"Doan blame me," Cliff retorted. "I ain't da one responsible fer sayin' dese words!"

"Well, you're not incorrect," Walt said, presenting his annoyance.

"Yeah. Humor like dis is so overrated, it ain't even funny," Charles said.

"I know dat's right," Cliff agreed.

"I don't know how this stuff is able to appeal to anyone that's not even in their teenage years." Walt spat.

"It's a mystery," Geo added.

Hearing footsteps approach the house, the pets jumped. Cliff swiftly flicked out a remote and shut the television off. Zipping towards the door, it was already open wide. The youngest siblings chattered amongst themselves as they rushed to their beloved animals, sans Charles.

Lifted off the floor and getting rubbed on the heads, Charles felt confused and left out. He didn't understand what's happening or why. Tilting his head, he whined. With everybody wandering off to the second floor, Charles glanced over to the reader.

"Eh… what da heck's goin' on?" he asked. "Did dey not notice me?"

That question of his had potential, but the answer to it remains quite unclear. Shaking his head, the dog followed the whole gang upstairs. At the top of the stairs, he spotted Lana out in the hall. Instead of a happy reaction as he expected, it was a completely different reaction. Running back into her room, Charles ran to enter the door, only to get hit in the face by her bedroom door.

"Awooo!" the dog yelped before rubbing his red nose. "Geez, dat smarts."

Was he really dreaming, or was his experience an unreal reality to him? More confusion entered the white mutt's mind as his sights locked onto the door in front of him. "I doan understand what's happenin'! Mah filth kid doan want ta play wit' me now? Well, ain't dat a problem!"

Arms crossed, the dog looked for open doors. Lincoln's was way open. Maybe he was in the mood to play. "If she doan wanna play, den I'll just play wit' mah boy!"

Rushing to the middle child's room, Lincoln freaked before slamming the door shut. Charles skid close to the entrance in shock. He couldn't believe it. Him too?

"Alright, dis is gettin' ridiculous!" Charles said to the reader. Anger slowly took over his mind. "Somethin's wrong here. What da heck did I do? Bite somebody? Pee on the carpet? Lick myself clean down dere?" Suspicious, Charles' eyes squinted angrily. "Hey, settle down, ya weirdo."

Whatever was going on, he needed to set things straight. Desperate for answers, he started walking around the hallway. "I'm gonna get to da bottom of dis junk," he said, determination filling his head. "even if I hafta sniff out da tracks!"

Missing just a beat, the pup was stumped. With no evidence around aside from everyone acting paranoid of him all of a sudden, there had to be another way to decipher this strange behavior. Shaking his head, the dog uttered "Er… dat won't work. Dere's got ta be another way I can work dis out."

Hatching an idea with a lightbulb floating over his head, Charles had an idea. "Maybe it's just dose two? Guess I'll hafta see if anyone else is treatin' me da same way."

Not long after, screams of panic ensued as every door he approached slammed shut before his eyes. This definitely wasn't a dream. It felt like a nightmare to him. It's almost like the siblings didn't want to do anything with him. Trembling his paws, he felt completely left out. Trying his best to fight his pain, Charles was understandably in a rage.

Turning to the reader, the dog questionably spat some angry words. "Alright, who's da wise guy dat set me up dis way? Dere ain't nothin' funny about dis at all! I'm gonna get to da bottom of this crud as if my unconditioned love fer dose kids depend on it!"

* * *

Inside his doghouse, he turned on the slide projector he managed to steal from Lisa. He scrolled through loads of footage she always had on file, including what was caught just today.

"Hmm…" Charles uttered, massaging his chin with his paw. "Ain't nothin' unusual goin' on… just da kids doin' dere thing."

Charles shook his head. There were no evidential clues present to help him out. Still having that bit of determination, he glanced at a few more clips from the day before. Everything went okay so far for the poor animal. He witnessed some bit of activity from the kitchen interior, where the older siblings talked amongst themselves. They had engaged in a conversation about the white hound while he remembered being outside… chasing down a butterfly.

"Let's see what's goin' on here…" Charles spat, squinting his eyes.

All that really happened so far was the siblings' casual activity. No funny business seemed to take over. He skipped back to the day before tomorrow. What he retrieved was the exact same results.

"Drat!" He slammed the projector. "Ain't dere somethin' out dere dat could've led ta dis?"

Charles flicked to another camera, this time projecting someone in the shower. Getting flashed out of nowhere like that was a shock to him. When he gave out a horrid scream, he quickly flicked to another active feed. Much to his relief, he got an eye full of the living room couch. Cliff and Walt were there, resting peacefully.

"Of course dose two would laze around." Charles rolled his eyes. Scratching his head, he was stumped. "Well maybe it's nothin'? Maybe dey're just messin' around or somethin'..."

When he shook his canine head, he was really starting to doubt it. "Nuh-uh. Somethin's wrong here. I've known dis darn family fer years. Dere's gotta be a logical explanation fer all dis crazy behavior."

The dog's eyes shifted around, still placing his focus on the projection. "I ain't gonna rest dis case until I find out da source." He rubbed his paws together. "It's time ta infiltrate dis place."

Sprinting out of his doghouse and heading to the back door of the house, he entered the doggy door. Now inside the kitchen, the first thing he spotted with his own eyes was a slice of ham, discarded on the floor.

"Ooh, meat!" Charles munched on the food like there wasn't a tomorrow. When he shook his head after satisfying himself, he stopped for a quick shame. He sighed for a second. "I hafta cut dat out."

As the mutt resumed walking aimlessly around the house he searched high and low, far and near for any clues. There still wasn't anything out there to help him out. This slowly upset Charles.

"C'mon now, dere has ta be somethin' helpin' me out." The dog looked down. He couldn't give up just yet. He needed answers one way or another. Heading into the living room, he found Lincoln playing an online match of a role-playing game he was into, with his best friend Clyde as his opponent.

"Oh yeah!" Lincoln spat. "You know with this power I have on me Clyde, there's no way you can take my henchmen down anytime soon." He concluded with a simple laugh.

Charles was a little disoriented. At first, he was in fear, now he was openly playing a game with someone? Suspicions arose inside the dog. Desperate to have someone to communicate with, he walked to the boy at a steady stride. What came next was something he literally expected. As Lincoln's vision laid upon the dog, he screamed and bolted upstairs. Startled, Charles jumped back and shook his head.

"Aaand, saw dat comin'," The dog facepalmed, to no surprise. What could've possibly gone wrong? "How am I gonna get answers wit' ev'rybody scrammin'?"

A lightbulb popped up. "I've got it!" He rubbed his paws together. "Let's see if dey'll figure out it's me, unduh some apparel." He then glanced back at the reader. "Now don't get me wrong here, I hate bein' clothed, but I hafta get to da bottom of dis… even though I've used dat many times already." Already half a minute in, Lincoln's match between Clyde was getting dominated.

Up in the attic, the mutt himself dug through a chest filled with old items to rummage around. There wasn't a lot of options for Charles to choose from, so he had to work with whatever was in the area. Tired of rummaging through the attic, he settled on a simple tuxedo, fit for someone his size. It's as if Lily could fit something like it. Staring at the selected piece of clothing, he had no other choice. He had to work with what he was able to find.

"Welp, here goes nothin', I suppose." Charles sighed sharply.

What he didn't expect was getting spooked by a feline friend. "Hey, dog!" Cliff darted up from behind the chest. That had Charles' heart racing. "What's wit' da getup?"

"Okay... don't do dat." Charles uttered through his hyperventilation. "And I'm in some sort of a huge pickle fer no good reason."

"Why? What's goin' on?" Cliff asked, his confusion building up ever so slightly.

"Evuh since dat family came back home today, everyone's been treatin' me like some sort of outcast!" Charles extended his arms out. "And dere ain't no clues out dere fer me that coulda led ta dis crud! So I'm dressin' up a bit so dey'll probably calm down or somethin'."

"Oh... as crazy as dis sounds right now, is it really dat serious?" Cliff tilted his head.

"Ya bet yer butt it is." Charles furnished a tie on his tux before putting on a dusty hat. "I've never seen such a silly turnout such as dis."

Cliff smirked. "I could genuinely say da same ting for dis entire story, it's gettin' kinda strange, don'tcha tink?" He made his way to the stairs. "Well, good luck wit' whatever yer tryin' ta do. I have a belly rub callin' me downstairs…" The cat's stomach growled. "But I hafta answer nature first."

After Cliff left to ramble around in the hallway, Charles sighed once again. He pulled out an old brush and looked closely at it. "Gee, I sure hope dis works."

In the hallway, Leni and Lola went into their rooms. The dog had to decide which one he wants to retrieve answers from. It already occurred to him that both of the girls have a thing for fashionable apparel, so he shouldn't have a problem with it in the first place.

Hopping down on the hallway carpet, he looked to his left and right. Giving off a stink eye, he decided to try the teenage fashionista first. Maybe she could have some insights on why everyone's trying to stay away from the white pup. Walking into her room, he simply gave a bark. Leni turned around, looking directly at Charles. What could he want?

Leni gasped. "Ooh! Handsome doggy!" She picked him up, much to his dismay. "You know what'll go even greater with what you have on? A hairdo!"

"Aroo?" Charles uttered under his breath before Leni set him on her bed. He was utterly confused. What was wrong with what he was wearing? Nevertheless, he had to not underestimate her and just go with it. Maybe he'd like it after the turnout.

When Leni doffed the pooch's hat, she gasped and immediately backed away. "Charles?!" she said, her arms trembling around. Out of fear that Charles might do something, she screamed, bolting out of her room without hesitating a second. As expected, Charles shook his head. This was nowhere near a different reaction than he thought he'd get.

The dog couldn't help but let out an irritable groan. "I guess I'll try da little beauty queen next." He exited the room, entering the hallway before making his way into the room that belonged to Lola and Lana.

As the dog would expect nothing different, he spotted the beauty child fixing up her hair. She decided what type of spray she would use for her soon to be tea party. She just needed one more member to join in on the fun.

"Alright, my fellow playmates," Lola walked to her occupied plastic table, filled with some fresh made tea and crumpets along with a stuffed rabbit, cat, and a bear, dressed properly for the occasion. "Our little party's about to start in a couple of minutes. Your charming young princess needs time to decide which spray she needs to use."

The last sentence gave the dog a reason to smile. This could be an opportunity Charles may have been waiting for. All he wanted was to not feel left out. He wanted to help her out in any way he could. With that powerful sniffer of his, he would make for a great assistant.

Rushing to her, the dog poked at the spray she had in her right, which had a hint of cherry blossoms and cinnamon. Lola didn't feel confident about using it, but she had to realize that even a non-sapient animal like Charles can have a good intention. What if he's had a whiff of it before? He might not be wrong.

Lola was getting suspicious. She knows that's the dog everyone's been avoiding all this time. "I know it's you Charles." Lola spoke up. "You're not getting a bite out of me. Now back off!"

Charles was really starting to get confused. The dog had no idea what the heck the child was talking about. With all due respect to her wishes given her aggressive nature at times, he sadly whined and backed off.

"Hmm. I'm not sure about this," Lola glanced closely at the spray bottle as Charles lamented, leaving the room. "Cherry blossoms and cinnamon?" She shrugged. "Eh, I'm sure it'll be a good combination."

Putting her trust in the canine with couture, she tried to perform a little spritz on her hair. But instead, it sprayed all over her hair, soon covering her face with an aromatic pinkish-red cloud. Her coughing ensued as it was too much for her to handle. When it cleared up, the smell of it overwhelmed her senses. This was a good call on the dog's part. Lola gave off a smile as the spray really complimented her hair nicely.

Lola poofed up her hair. "Well I'll say, the dog has good taste, I'll give him that."

* * *

Arriving back at the doghouse in the late evening, Charles was on the verge of throwing in the towel at this point. Nothing seemed to have worked out well for him. If he had the power to turn back time, the dog would use that to an advantage. But no, there was no need for wishes about altering the present to his liking.

Charles growled to himself in a hastily matter. "Ohhhh, I'm so angry." His paws stomped on the dirt. "All dat plannin' and nothin' worked out!"

This upset the poor pooch to a good degree. He was a bout to shed a tear. Running fresh out of potential ideas, he threw his head down. "Where did I go wrong?" He sniffled. "What did I do?" The dog felt like he needed to assert himself after the awkward situation he had to endure for no reason. He banged his fists on the slide projector, only for it to start back up on him unexpectedly.

It showcased another piece of footage from the feed of the living room, with Cliff and Walt resting peacefully on the carpet and the birdcage, respectively. Lincoln barged through the front door, much to the distress of the two pets. Charles, who's currently watching this go down, was understandably confused at first, but at least it snatched his attention up instantly.

The middle child hopped onto the computer, as he searched for something online. He called Lana over to join in with him. Not long after, the kid pulled up an unknown website. Charles paid close attention to what was happening between him and the mud loving twin. He figured that sometimes, it's the things happening in the background that might have led to a position that the dog's in.

Charles didn't want to believe that was the source to everything. But then again, what if it was? As he continued watching, he noticed the two hugging it out on the side. They were even shaking in fear as they quickly glanced back and forth at each other. After a short while, the two bolted upstairs, possibly telling everybody about what they just witnessed.

Charles was understandably skeptical about what just happened. "Wait a sec?" He crossed his arms. "Ya mean ta tell me dat all of dis mistreatin' I've been gettin' was cause of a dumb website? Dat place is filled with loads of lies!" He glanced towards the reader. "Knowin' how impressionable people are gettin' nowadays, dey'll believe anything people put out dere."

The dog had to facepalm. He just found out the possible source of everything that occurred. "Alright, enough talkin'. It's time ta put a stop ta dis."

At the computer desk now, Charles got to work. Placing his delicate paws on the keyboard, he typed away. "Wait a sec," he mumbled to himself, placing a paw over the mouse. "I can just oh I dunno, lurk around dere history." He hovered it over the history tab. A click in, it exposed all the recent websites they've visited. The dog was surprised that nobody would've actually thought to clear it every once in a while.

"Wow, dat's a buncha stuff." Charles scrolled down to the most recent site someone was on. He clicked on it and soon found himself directed to a page about a debatable news article. "Nope, dat's not it." He redirected himself to another page, this time being an experiment about some physics. Impressed but with not much time left to waste, he scrolled to another page. "That's cool, but not it eithuh."

The third page it redirected him to was about the human body, included with the functions they withheld and why it's healthy for them. Charles read a couple sentences about how there's nothing wrong with letting one rip every once in a while. It turns out; he was right about his intentions after all. With a smirk on his face, he didn't hesitate to let out a fart. "Serves ya right, puss."

He went to another webpage once again. This time, it was about theories. It perplexed Charles, tilting his head almost immediately after. The most recent one read and it quoted:

 _"Do you ever get the strange feeling... that all dogs like to lick our faces... because they know we have bones inside our body? You don't think... our best friends that we've known for years are waiting for the perfect moment to_ try and _eat us... right? .._.r _-right?!"_

Noticing the comment section below it was notably filled with fear and panic, Charles gulped. This felt like a nail hammered hard into a broken heart to him. His ears flopped the moment he stared at it all. His pupils were getting larger as he felt that his family felt the same way about him. Feeling isolated, he had nothing left.

"I guess it all makes sense now..." Charles uneasily muttered, trying to fight his tears. "This family... tinks I'm a complete monster..." Now crying, he hopped off and left the house without even uttering a single word.

It was gloomy and raining outside now. Charles rested outside in his doghouse, lamenting about how he felt singled out by the family that took him in. On one side, he couldn't believe how impressionable the world would be to him, but on the other half, he was a mixed bag filled with emotional sadness and rage. If he could talk some sense into the siblings, he would've pulled it off. But the only thing that stood in his way was some bad communication between animals and humans. It hurt him most that even Lana was that impressionable, and she loved animals more than anything.

He didn't understand it, but then again, there was the society they all lived in today. He heard a voice call out to him. It was from the kid that found him since day one. She was desperate to find the whereabout of her faithful companion, but to each call she made out, there was no answer.

"Charles? Where are you?" Lana walked aimlessly into the backyard. "I know you're out there, buddy." Lana sniffed deeply. "I can smell you somewhere around here."

Rustling ensued from the bushes. Could that be where Charles was? Thinking that could be true, she walked over to them. "Charles, Is that you?" Lana reached into the bushes. "I just wanted to apologize-"

CHOMP*

"Yow!" The child screamed out. It was a stray raccoon, and he looked real hungry for something to sink its sharp teeth into. It startled Charles, gasping in complete shock. Reacting on impulse, he had to bolt out of his doghouse. He charged directly at the two fighting parties, crashing into them as they rolled around in the muddy field.

With the raccoon losing its grip, he was thrown next to the growling hound. Catching sight of the snarling beast, Charles bolted directly at it. Not a moment to spare, the two animals got into a scrap. Several clouds formed up as the battle commenced. Lana was in shock. She didn't know what to do from that point. All she could do was just sit back and watch.

The brawl reached its climax, with the dog biting down on the coon's tail, he hurled the animal left and right. With bravery and confidence, he sent the animal into a tree, knocking him out cold.

Lana was speechless. She was saved by her bumbling pet. The one she was afraid of all this time, was right there for here when she needed it the most. She couldn't help but smile with a joyful tear.

When Charles looked back at the child, his mind was too fixated to do anything else other than run towards her at top speed.

"Charles! Good boy!" Lana opened her arms out and got glomped by her happy pooch. "That was awesome!"

Charles never felt so satisfied to finally have his empty void feel occupied. But now, only one piercing question remained. Charles took the honor in asking it. He was curious and at the same time, desperate to know. He communicated with her through his elegant way of speaking.

"Avoiding you?" Lana answered uneasily. "Come on, Charles."

The dog spoke again, only this time it had a bit of dominance.

"Oh. If I really made you feel that way, I'm sorry, boy." Lana petted the dog on his head. "If I could explain myself, then I would in a heartbeat. But it's a teensy bit complicated for me to tell you."

Charles wanted to comfort her. He'd understand someday. Lana looked back at her pet. She wanted to build her courage up for Charles but, she just couldn't do it today.

"I'm sorry, I'll tell you someday." Lana uttered, like she was making a promise. "But c'mon. Let's spend the rest of the day doing whatever you want!" Lana walked back to the kitchen. Charles gave the kid two barks before he followed her inside. Lincoln screamed his heart out upon finding Lana with her dog.

"Calm down, Lincoln." Lana uttered irritably.

* * *

 **~End~**


	37. Ranger Endanger

_Story 36: Ranger Endanger_

* * *

12:00pm

What another day to have a gloom-filled atmosphere take place in the nice old neighborhood of Royal Woods. How it wasn't raining at a time like this, the family will never know. In the living room, like always, the dull pets sat in front of the television screen. It showcased the weather segment brought to them by the news. Knowing how inaccurate the weathermen can be on the news, nobody was a hundred percent sure on what to believe nowadays.

"Apparently, we predicted a few hours ago that it was going to be sunny with a slight chance of rain today."

"Well, who's in the wrong now?" The cameraman rubbed in his face.

Exasperated, the weathermen attempted to keep his cool. "But unfortunately, there's been a slight change." He sighed. "These clouds will be taking over Royal Woods for a while now. We're not sure how long these bad boys will stay in place but darn it, we'll predict that these clouds will clear up soon enough."

Skeptical, the dog and the cat couldn't help but roll their eyes. Whether or not this could be a white lie, they'd rather see it happen in order to believe them. Most weather reporters aren't accurate with predictions anyway, but who could blame them, really?

"Ya know, dis stuff's kinda funny ta be honest wit' youse." Charles crossed his legs and his arms. "Dese humans are always tellin' us dis false information fer millions of deir watchers."

Cliff shrugged. "I'm sure dey coulda gotten a bettuh job den doin' dat fer a livin'."

"Eh, dey take what dey can get," The dog glanced to the cat. "Least dey're gettin paid fer it."

Cliff thought for a bit before he asked Charles a follow up question. "Hm… how much we're talkin' about?"

"I dunno, but I bet it's a buncha bacon strips!" He wagged his tail and moistened his lips. "Ooh, or maybe some of dat delicious steak, all well done and thoroughly cooked fer consumption!"

Cliff flicked the hound's nose. Pain was inflicted as it caused him to let out a small howl of pain. "No, ya dimwit," Comforting his nose, Charles looked angry towards the feline. "I'm talkin' about da cheddar!"

An incited Charles would inevitably drool from the sound of that one word. It's almost like he was lost in a dream-filled trance. "Dat's even bettuh…"

The cat facepalmed. He dragged his face down, knowing that the dog was still missing the point of what he was talking about. He had to resort to another term. "I meant money, dog."

The hound himself stopped his drooling and panting. "O-oh." Awkward silence squeezed itself in between the two before the dog was stumped. "Well, I really dunno, if ya ask me."

Cliff testily rolled his eyes. "Ugh, typical."

Charles glanced around the living room. Geo and Walt were nowhere to be found in the room. "Anyway, where's da bird and da Ham?"

The feline shrugged. "Beats me."

Almost immediately, Walt flew in the living room before he landed on the couch handle. "Right here, the hamster's on the jon, and I was outside cleaning off the white spots on my second house."

The dog stood there for a second. "Did ya say…"

"White spots?" Cliff's cheeks shift a sicklen color before the same was inflicted on the dog. It got to the point where they were on the verge of diziness and vomiting.

"Will you two chill the heck out?" Walt flew upward. "It was just paint!"

Their nausea faded away. What a relief. "Oh, fer real?" Charles' head tilted slightly.

"Whatevuh ya say, bird." The cat laid down on the couch. By then, the news segment would switch to a commercial break. When the first advertisement flashed on the screen, Charles hopped off the couch. "Well, time fer somethin' ta munch on." He headed into the kitchen. They presumed that he wanted to snarf down whatever goodies the family kept in the fridge.

As the advertisents kept on rolling, the cat suddently heard voices. Twitching his ears, he wanted to investigate. "Eh? I wonder what's goin' on…" He flicked his tail before he hopped off the couch, walking over to the parent's bedroom. He heard some faint noises. Maybe someone could be talking outside, or upstairs?

Staring at the fridge, Charles rubbed his paws together before he waved his fingers. As he got his paws on the fridge handle, he too heard noises. His ears lifted up, listening at the source. His curiosity peaked immensely before it got the better of him. He made his way to the doggy door and poked his head out. Looking around, he'd eventually find the two parents of eleven children, discussing about something… personal. Wondering about their commotion, he stood there and eavesdropped.

"I'm telling you honey, we really got to break it to them sooner or later." The mother said.

"I really wish we could, but the kids will be so heartbroken every time we have to tell them this kind of devastating news, especially Lana."

"I know, but it's already worse that we have to sugarcoat her pets' passing so she won't be as sad."

"Yeah, but that's called life, honey." The father caressed his arm. "Eventually, she'll find out the truth about 'em and never live it down."

Rita leaned forward just a hair. "And Lola's still upset about her little pony being transformed into glue, thanks to Lisa."

The father crossed his arms. "What a horrifying thing to even experience. It's sad, really. I didn't even know something like that was possible."

The mother sighed. "And, it's just as sad as how many hamsters we've had to replace for the sake of keeping our family happy and closer together." The two looked down upon the half a dozen gravestones Lucy planted, each one having Geo's name engraved on them, while another had the word 'pony'. It had Charles fixated, albeit frightened at the same time. A whine of his ensued.

"That's five hamsters," Lynn Sr, gestured to the ground. "Right there. It really pains me every time that we have to do this for our kids. So we can't let them know we've been hiding these deaths about the little guy."

"Well, that's life, sweetie." Rita patted her husband on his back before they wandered off to Vanzilla. "A hamster's lifespan isn't as long as every other pet after all." Charles was quick on his tail to elicit a gasp, much to his horrified and innocent mind. Head back in the kitchen, the pup hyperventilated, his heart racing like it was fighting for first place. It's almost as if this information was too much for his canine heart to handle.

"Hold on now," Charles had his head in his paws. "Dere's more den one Ham dat I knew about dis whole time?" He glanced over to the reader. "Dat might explain all dose strange behaviors he had evuh since I knew him. Gosh, I need ta start usin' my nose more often."

The dog returned to his hyperventilating, this time he included blowing in and out of a paper bag he mysteriously had on him. Cliff arrived in the kitchen, now curious as to what just happened. He was worried about him. What could've gotten him worked up all of a sudden? "Hey dog," Charles' bag popped, causing Cliff to jump and give a startled meow before crashing into the tiled floorboard. A beat in, he collected himself and faced the pup. "What's da matter wit' ya?"

"H-h-h-Ham…" Charles could barely keep it together to answer his feline pal. The latter was utterly stumped.

Cliff's head slanted. "Huh? ...What about him?"

The dog barely lifted his paw. He pointed outside the doggy door, the limb quivering as he gulped. Cliff was more intrigued to figure out the dog's unusual behavior. He took a peek out the door, his sights locked on the tombstones in the yard.

It had the cat's eyes enlarged, his jaw dropping. He gulped uneasily before his head came back inside the house. His paws were on his chin. "Okay, now I see what yer talkin' about…"

The two pets grabbed each other in fear. "What are we gonna do, cat?" Charles' whining took over. Cliff rubbed him on his head, hoping it'll soothe the poor dog. "I dunno… but we hafta tink of somethin' before we can kiss dat little tail of his goodbye."

Before they even knew it, Geo made his way into the kitchen along with Walt, for once he wasn't rolling in his ball. They were curious about them. But now, seeing Charles and Cliff hugging each other sparked some questions they feel the need to ask.

"Uh, is this a bad time?" Geo walked closer to the two, only for them to gasp at a loose fork about to fall off the kitchen table.

"Watch out!" The dog dive bombed, pushing Geo out of the way before the fork hit the floor. The bird didn't understand what was going on, but soon enough, he will. Catching his breath, Charles hopped up on his feet, examining the confused hamster. "You okay?"

"Uh… sure?" The hamster rubbed his head before he was set free from the dog.

Charles wiped off his forehead in relief. "Phew!"

Geo rolled his eyes before he casually walked off. "Well… I'm gonna go... get my ball from the basement."

The trio gulped in fear. "The basement?!" Their thought bubble formed, about to showcase the horror of Geo getting—

"Hold up! Stop right dere!" Charles popped up, destroying their bubble. "Dis is a kiddie show, fer pete's sake!"

Walt glanced to the reader. "You won't believe how much we got away with, honestly."

"Uh, let's stop him fer cryin' out loud?!" Cliff spat. This was urgent.

With the basement open, the three animals peeked inside. They heard some ominous ambiance as Geo descended down further. Thinking something's out to get him, Cliff rushed to retrieve a fishing rod and hook the hamster up. Yanked back to the kitchen, the hamster yelled in horror. Charles caught Geo in his paws, much to his awkward chagrin.

"Grrr, what has gotten into you guys?" He crossed his arms. "All I did was walk downstairs!"

Desperate to cover their intents, the dog had to draw out a little white lie. "Er, just testin' out da fishin' rod?" He concluded with an awkward smile. Cliff and Walt inevitably did the same.

Geo was skeptical, but he played along. "Alright then?" he hopped out of the dog's paws. "But I still need my ball to roll around in."

Cliff's eyes shifted. "No ya don't!" He looked around.

"Huh?" Geo's head slanted to the right.

"Yeah, cause it's uh… b-broken! Dat's right!" Charles swiftly nodded, his ear lifting up to hear the sound of crackling from the basement. "I can hear it crushin' up into pieces!"

Geo could easily tell that something was going on. Wanting to be the element of surprise to them, he pretended to believe whatever the dog, the cat, and the bird uttered right from their mouths. "I… I'm not sure if…"

Walt grabbed his face. "We're telling you the truth, darn it! Quit acting suspicious with us!"

The accusation drew out a head shake from the accused hamster. Now he's certain that something was up with them. Furious with the three, he lashed out.

"Alright you guys, who said I was acting suspicious?" He threw his paws down. "You guys are seriously going to get worked up over nothing? I don't know why you guys are acting this way but it needs to be toned down!" He began to walk away. "Now I'll be going somewhere, and you guys maybe need to chill out."

Charles tried to stop him. "But Ham…" With just down to three pets, anxiety began to peak inside them all. Charles began hyperventilating once again. Cliff was there to comfort him. "You guys, I feel conflicted here!" Walt glanced to Charles and Cliff.

"Same wit' us!" They spoke together.

"What are we gonna do?" Cliff eyes were starting to moisten up as his head shook sideways. "We can't just sit here, thinkin' about all da horrible tings dat might happen ta Ham!"

Quivering, the dog's head faced down. "If dat's really five Ham's out dere, six feet unduh ground, I'd be darned if we lost anothuh!"

Walt grew just as nervous as the feline and canine. He was sweating. A couple deep breaths in, the bird came up with a solution, before it hit the rest of the pets. "Well guys, I think there's only one thing for us to do."

All together, the pets spat; "We're usin' protection!"

"Seriously, a lot of you out there need it." The bird lampshaded, as he gave the reader a cautionary wink.

* * *

In the hallway, Geo casually walked to the bathroom. As he whistled a little tune to himself, he hopped his way up to the sink. Unbeknownst to him, Charles, Cliff, and Walt were behind him, watching his movement. All he did so far was switched on the faucet. When the sound of tap water ensued, the trio of pets reacted in horror, thinking he might fall down the drain. Reacting fast, Walt flew to the hamster, landing on him before lifting him away from the sink.

"Hey! Put me down!" Geo reacted in anger. As he freed himself from the bird's grasp, Charles elicited a horrified yelp. Rushing in to help, he slipped on a puddle of water before running face first into the sink, giving Geo a safety net as he slid down his back. The hamster glared at the nervous cat as he walked out of the bathroom, assuming they were still on his tail.

The dog and the bird keep a good eye on him as Geo now made his way into the claustrophobic space that happened to be Lincoln's bedroom. What could he be doing in there? Their hearts acted like jackhammers, their nerves rising at immense rates. It got to the point where Cliff swiftly bit at his claws.

Zipping over to the bedroom as quick as they could, they peeked inside. The hamster was in his cage, getting a sip of water from his bottle. Charles began to sigh in relief. There's no way he'd get hurt from doing that. The second they notice that the cage was on an unsturdy table top, they now had a reason to panic. One of the legs began to give away, it had the table slanting towards the three pets. Paws over their heads, they let out a gasp. "Oh no!" Charles uttered.

"I got dis!" Cliff somersaulted into action. As he slid into place, knocking a table leg out of the way, he sighed out of relief. Charles and Walt did the same. Thank goodness for his pals. Geo was finished with his water and walked out of his cage. Jumping down, he grabbed onto one of Cliff's whiskers and his fall came to an abrupt halt.

Irritated by the immense pain, Cliff let out a loud meow as he made the table topple over. It caused the hamster to drop down to the carpet and run out of the room. Still feeling their nerves was still at large, Charles and Walt followed him. Angry, Cliff rubbed his cheek and growled before spoke some strong words. "Yer gonna pay fer dat, ya gosh darn son of a f-furball."

Geo walked down the flight of stairs. He thought that some bit of daytime television could take something off of his mind. Charles noticed an open nail, sticking out of the staircase. Geo walked closer down the stairs, possibly to his everlasting pain. Without even thinking, Charles ran downstairs, grabbed him and flung him down to the carpet.

The hamster was understandably outraged. To him, he felt that there was no need for them to go out of their way to tamper with him. It's almost as if they think he's incapable of taking care of himself. "Hehe, sorry Ham!" Charles gave an awkward smile and wave towards the agitated hamster. His face was steadily turning light red, all while he showed off his gritting teeth. His paws slowly shifted into fists. Knowing about the size difference, he couldn't just tear them a good one across their stubborn butts.

He left them be without uttering a single word. Now where was he going? Wherever the pets might think he would travel to, their outcome was certainly up to no good. Cliff joined the dog and the bird with a small pant. "Geez, I dunno how long we can keep dis up."

"We hafta!" Charles slammed his paw into another. "I doan wanna see da day Ham leaves us! It'd be too disheartnin'!"

Walt tried to convince Cliff into continuation. "C'mon cat, he might not like what we're doing for him, but it's for his own good!"

"I dunno, ya guys." Cliff grew more anxious then before. "One part of me is sayin' dat dere's a line wit' him and we clearly passed da heck outta dat."

Charles laid a paw on the cat. "But anothuh part's tellin' me ta keep on goin' just ta see what happens."

The cat backed up. "Paws off da coat."

"You know who I'm siding with here, cat." Walt crossed his wings, backing up towards the steadfast hound. "Besides, if you really did love Ham and consider him your friend, what would your mind tell you to do?"

Cliff couldn't help but sigh. The pressure was on. "Ohhh, We'd always be there for each othuh no mattuh what happens ta anybody. I doan want Ham gettin' hurt or blackin' out ta live on my conscience fer a long time." Cliff crossed his arms. "We hafta keep lookin' out fer him." He concluded with a smile.

"Alright ya guys, ya know what ta do here." Charles threw his paw in. Cliff and Walt each threw in a paw and an arm respectively. "Fer Ham!"

"For Ham!" Cliff and Walt simultaneously spat in confidence before the trio shouted "Break!"

* * *

Outside in the windy nature, Geo stepped outside the doggy door. Pouting to himself, he wanted to get something off of his chest. "Hmph. I know what's going on with those three. They're doing all of this cause they're afraid I'm going to get killed or something." He faced the reader. "I'm flattered that they're doing this to show that they care for me, but they're taking this overprotection thing way out of hand! I'm not a baby to them, I can take care of myself just fine, even if I don't have my ball to prove it!"

He blushed. It came out wrong to him somehow. "Stop laughing!" He crossed his arms. "Eventually, all of this nonsense can calm down, once those friends of mine start realizing that literally anything can happen in a-"

Before he could finish his little vent, the winds were blowing hard. Leaves were moving at such a quick pace. It's almost like a storm had befallen upon the good neighborhood of Royal Woods. Not even a lightweight animal was safe from getting dragged away from the blowing breeze. As he witnessed a squirrel getting blown away by the storm, he realized that stepping outside might have been a grave mistake.

"Uh oh…" Geo made an attempt to run back inside the doggy door, only to get lifted by the winds as well. Could this be it for the little hamster? He wasn't going to give up anytime soon. He grabbed a hold of the doggy door and screamed at the top of his lungs. "Help! Somebody!" Hopefully, the pets could hear him in his dangerous predicament. "Dog! Cat! Bird! Help me!"

Some luck would come to the hamster's side. Charles and the others headed towards the kitchen to see Geo hanging on for dear life. It caused the gang to share a horrified gasp, sirens blaring in their head telling them to jump into action. It was getting intense, and there was not even a second to waste.

Geo was losing his grip faster than a speeding arrow. Closing his eyes and letting out a small yelp and a tear, he inadvertently slipped off. Charles grabbed on to his tiny paw. "I gotcha!"

"Hold on!" Walt hid his eyes with his wings.

"You can do it!" Cliff added nervously.

Unfortunately, because of their anxious behavior, the hound's paws were extremely sweaty. If things couldn't get any worse than that, Geo's paw began to slip free from his paw. If he wasn't going to make it out alive, he might as well just say his last few words before it's too late.

"You guys," Geo quivered. "I see what you guys were trying to do now! I'm sorry that I ever doubted you!"

"No Ham," Charles sniffled. "We're da ones dat need ta be apologizin'! You were right about us havin' ta chill out 'n lettin' ya take care of yerself! I swear on me heart dat we'll stay outta yer way more often if ya really feel dat way!"

Geo's eyes watered. "You'd do that… for me?"

Charles wasted no time responding back. "We promise-"

Without any warning, Geo inadvertently slipped free. He was thrown hard into a gate behind him as he was knocked out cold, before the heavy winds finally died down. The impact of it looked hard in the eyes of a shocked group of pets. They stood speechless as to what happened. Geo fell down to the grass below and laid there motionless.

The pets didn't waste time running out to their felled hamster friend. "Oh no!" Charles yelped. "Ham!" Walt cried out. "Oh my gosh!" Cliff reacted. They approached Geo slowly. He never did move an inch, thanks to the storm. Their eyes started watering as they kept their eyes on him. Only one question rang inside their head; was this the end of their beloved hamster friend?

"It can't be…" Cliff poked him around.

"We did all this protecting for him… and we still couldn't…" Walt sat down, wings in his head.

Charles let out a sniffle once again. He was the most hurt out of all of his companions. "Oh Ham… I'm really sorry..." He wiped a tear from his face. "Fer once in our lives, we've failed ya… I guess dis is…—sniff—goodbye…"

There was only one thing left to do. Charles sorrowfully walked up to the hamster and bowed to the floor. The second the dog's puckered lips laid directly on the hamster's butt, his eyes widened like a turned on light switch.

Geo yelled and hopped up on his feet. "What the heck's the matter with you?"

Much to the delight of the pets, they all shouted "Ham!" as they instantly gave the hamster a heartfelt hug.

"Thank goodness yer alright!" Cliff said.

"We legit thought you weren't getting back up!" Walt added.

Charles gave a chuckle before he blushed. "Sorry about me kissin' yer tail dere."

Geo smirked in flair. "You're alright. And I told you guys you don't have to worry about me! But then again, I have to thank you guys looking out for me. I realized that you guys went out of your way to show that you guys care for me."

"Dat meant a lot, comin' from youse." Charles responded.

"Us too." Cliff and Walt spoke up simultaneously. "We only did dis ta ya cause dat's what pals are for!"

Geo couldn't help but lend a pure smile. "Because we all know one thing..." Charles, Cliff, and Walt listened to him closely. "I love you guys... until whatever drifts us apart."

His pals had their expressions shift into smiles as they cherished that comment before they let out their reaction.

"Aww."

Before they all knew it, an apple fell on Charles' head. It knocked him out cold as the others gasped in complete shock.

* * *

 **~End~**


	38. Amending Fences

_Story 37: Amending Fences_

* * *

1:00pm

To a very certain someone that lived in such a huge family, life can be such an unpredictable mess. Being the only boy, better known as the man with the plan and the hero of siblings, there wasn't a single time where he let any of his members down. No matter what the sitch was with anybody, whether it be changing the baby's diaper, or pretending to be dead for a funeral, he would be there for them. So with that, let's see what's going on today in one of Royal Woods' own residents, the Loud House.

On a rainy Saturday afternoon where he had the whole house to himself once again, a shaking Lincoln had his eyes glued to the television as he blasted his music in his ears with his music player. His mind was fixated on getting chores done for his siblings while his nerves peaked. Cliff entered the scene and observed the kid sweeping down the living room carpet. He wanted something, but it'll probably take forever for Lincoln to even find out what the feline wanted.

The child's attention was so focused that he ignored the cat's meow. As Cliff walked towards him, he backed up rhythmically. Not even paying any attention to his surroundings, the kid accidentally stepped on the cat's tail. With a leap of pain, it was enough to catch Lincoln's attention as he jumped from his sudden reaction.

"Oh! Sorry, Cliff. I didn't see you there." Lincoln awkwardly smiled. The feline was angry with him, but it only lasted for just a beat. His tone changed as he calmly meowed to request some brunch. His stomach rumbled immediately after. Wow, talk about good timing.

The middle child was still trying to finish a chore. He wanted to get it over and done with so nobody would make a fuss with him over it. "Hold on, I'm almost done sweeping." He crouched down to sweep under the sofa. "Just hang in there, okay?"

Irritated, but impatient, Cliff walked up to his backside and extended his claws. Oh no. What was he going to do? When he raised up his paw, Lincoln was now done with his task. The boy got back up on his feet as Cliff retracted his claws before he headed towards the kitchen. "Alright, come on-"

But wait. He smelled something. It was the cat himself. The kid picked him up and pulled his head back. "Ugh. When was the last time you had a bath?"

Cliff gave off another meow, this time in a questionable manner. He grew confused as he took a sniff at his paw. Realizing that Lincoln was right, irritation overcame him before he elicited a soft growl. He had to freshen up again.

After a good scrub down later in the bathroom later, the middle child did the honor of brushing Cliff's fur as he laid on his lap. For once in a while, the feline purred. He felt comfortable, given that the brush Lincoln always used eliminated any spots that felt itchy for him. When he was down to his last few strokes, a few spokes caught a piece of the cat's fur, plucking them off his back. Cliff let out a big meow from the painful sensation before he dismounted off of Lincoln, giving off a loud hiss as he harshly leered at him.

"Whoa, I'm sorry!" Lincoln dropped the brush, having his hands to his side. He started shaking soon after. "I didn't mean to do it. Geez…"

Inside the kitchen interior, Cliff licked his lips. The sweet taste of pet food was approaching faster than he'd ever known. Lincoln stood on top of a kitchen chair and opened one of the cabinets. He grabbed onto the sack of food for the cat, but it wouldn't even budge a single inch.

Feeling a bit parched, Cliff stuck his face into his bowl of milk. As he lapped up some of the dairy liquid, the child inadvertently tore open a small slit into the bag. A few crumbs spilled, but he didn't care about that. With just a misstep that stepped in after, Lincoln lost his balance. "Woaoah!" He fell off the chair, taking the sack of food with him as he crashed on the floor. The pebbles rained down on the poor feline as they covered him in a huge pile.

Oh no. This wasn't good.

As Charles, Geo, and Walt entered the kitchen, the feline popped back up from the wasted food. He looked as provoked as ever at the clumsy child. His teeth and those stink eyes of his had Lincoln worried. As he approached the boy, he gave off an angry hiss at him before concluding with a growl. He was out to seek for wrath, and he really wanted to give Lincoln a piece of his mind.

"Cliff, what are you doing?!" Lincoln inched away from the ticked off grimalkin. The three pets shifted from confused to nerve-racking panic. Reacting out of an impulse of saving the kid from Cliff's harm, Charles gave two barks as he sprinted towards the feline. He tackled him down in a small cloud of melee as their wailing ensued.

Lincoln was terrified at this point. Were they trying to kill each other? Was there a hidden rivalry the boy didn't even know about? Whatever the case may be, he had to do something fast. Looking away, he pulled a growling Charles and a hissing Cliff away from each other. "You two, knock it off!" He gave glances back and forth at them. "I don't know what the heck has gotten into you two, but please stop!" He finally set the two animals back down.

Charles glanced at the spilled food over the checkered floorboard. Just the mere sight of it had him running to the pile, as well as Geo and Walt. When they dug in, Cliff leered back at the inelegant boy. With a low growl directed towards him, his eyes squinted tightly.

"Now, I'm sorry about my clumsiness today, but you shouldn't have the right to act out like this." Lincoln reached a hand out to the fuming cat. What he didn't see coming was him retaliating with his paw, gestured to inform him to stop. Lincoln backed away a bit. After all the stuff that happened under the span of an hour, Cliff had the urge to verbally tear the child apart. That colorful vocabulary of his blasted at him with all of his might. It had the boy's heart jump a bit. He pointed and pointed as his reign of lashing out continued before he finished with yet another menacing growl. And with that, Cliff went his way down to the basement.

Lincoln was in shock from what the heck just happened. For one, he knew that Cliff wouldn't hold back driving his claws into his tender skin. He's never seen Cliff act this hurt before, and he's surprised that he even restrained himself from attacking him for once in his lifespan. With no idea how to respond, he gave off a heavy sigh. So much for taking care of an animal.

* * *

Cliff sat on his litterbox to relieve himself… of the stress he had to endure today. With every inhale and exhale through his big nostrils, it never seemed to get any better for him. Still on the edge, his exhaling conveyed to snorts. No matter how many times he performed this simple breathing pose, there was barely any progress.

"Ohhh, I can't believe dat darn kid." His sights shifted to the floor. "Havin' da nerve ta mess up my fur like dat. And I just got groomed too, and he had ta blow dat as well." Clenching a paw and slamming it in his other paw, the sound of popping knuckles ensued. "Just you wait, ya poor excuse of a human bein'. I'll give ya somethin' ta blow soon enough, so I can sink my delicate claws into yer-"

"Whoa whoa whoa!" Charles walked downstairs, facing Cliff along with Geo and Walt. "Easy wit' da anger dere, cat."

"I'm sure this is a pretty drastic measure you're taking." Geo grew worried as the feline's anger expressed more.

"Well, I don't think it's that drastic." Walt shrugged, before he fell to the ground, his rump breaking his fall. "Being angry whenever something bad happens isn't exactly an uncommon thing for everyone. Although I don't know what the heck happened between him and the boy, I can see this being normal for the cat."

Cliff growled to himself. "I swear, with ev'ry burnin' passion of my soul, I ain't evuh gonna forgive him fer dis. I'm gonna git my paws on dose cheeks 'o his if it's da last ting I do." He clenched his fist. "I oughta do some painful tings ta dem."

Charles shock presented itself immensely. "Tell me ya ain't talkin' about… eh.. ya know."

"Git yer mind out da gutter dere, ya dip." Cliff crossed his arms. "I'm dead serious wit' all of youse. Ain't none of ya'll gonna make me change my mind!"

"Oh come on now," Geo facepalmed. "You can't just shun the boy out like that! That'd be very bold and petty!"

"Yeah, It ain't like he went out of his way ta misuse ya or somethin'." Charles shrugged. "He'd never wanna do dat ta ya."

Walt got to thinking for a bit. "Um… is it bad that I could actually see him doing that one day?"

Cliff shook his fists. "Yes!" His eye twitched a couple of times. "And if dat evuh happens, I'll physically tear dat boy apart!" He faced the reader. "You out dere readin' dis can complain about dis all ya want." Waving his asserted sharp claws, he spat "He ain't immune ta dese babies here!"

Charles sighed. "Cat, yer my pal 'n everythin' and I love ya, but I tink ya really need ta chill out."

Geo placed his paws over his heart. "That boy's seeking forgiveness," He held a paw out to Cliff. "And he's really counting on you to give it to him."

"C'mon now, mah boy's hurt ovuh dis." Charles added. "Ya gotta find it in yer heart."

Walt irritably rolled his eyes. "How pathetic."

Cliff waved a paw. "Uh, hello?" His thumb contacted his chest. "I'm a cat. I doan forgive nobody."

His response drew out a gasp from Charles, Geo, and Walt. While it might be shocking for them to hear, he was being seriously honest towards them. "Whattaya mean ya doan forgive?" Charles drew out his paws. "Ya hafta do it ta everybody eventually."

The hamster started getting curious. With his head slanted, he asked "But… why is that I wonder?"

Walt crossed his arms. "Let me guess, you're not good at it."

"You're not used to it I guess?" Geo added.

"Maybe ya just doan feel like it?" Charles gave his guess.

Cliff rolled his eyes. "Ya doan need ta know nothin'. It's a complicated answer and ya ain't gonna like hearin' it." He waved his paw dismissively.

Concern filled the three pets. Someone had to intervene. "Well, whether ya like it or not, we're gonna help ya out on dis kinda stuff." The dog winked.

"Yeah, otherwise that boy's going to be the nightmare of your dreams." Geo threw his paws out. "Even though he didn't intend to do anything wrong to you."

"Nah, fugget dat junk." The cat gestured his paws to stop. "Dis forgiveness 'n apologetic crud means nothin'." His eyes squinted halfway. "What mattuhs ta me is having my claws driven down dat sorry face 'o his." Still trying to blow off steam, he got up and headed back upstairs. "Now if you'll excuse me, I hafta go do a lil' somethin'."

The trio's eyes filled with worry and fear. They had an eery feeling that Cliff really did want to lay a claw on the kid. Whatever the case may be, the three animals need to do something. Based on what was given, they could either help out the cat or help Lincoln out. When their decision was made, a light bulb would flash above their head as they gave a smile. "I'll check on my boy, you two soothe da cat somehow." Charles pointed before Geo and Walt responded with a determined nod. With paws and wings in, their plan was a go.

* * *

A few minutes later, Lincoln was in the living room tying up a sack filled with used litter from Cliff. The scent of it was unbearable that Lincoln's cheeks shifted to a sickly green color. "Bleh." Charles walked up to the kid before he shook his head. He wanted to check on him to see how he's doing after the lash out from the ticked off cat.

"Hey Charles," he said, petting him on the head. "I don't know if you've noticed but, I think Cliff's furious with me about something." He shrugged. "I have no idea why."

Charles shrugged. "Rur-rahr-rurr…"

Lincoln sighed. "I really hope this blows over soon, boy."

Charles gave a small whimper just before a beat of silence filled the house.

"So, I'm gonna have to make it up to him somehow." Lincoln glanced at the clean litterbox. "His litterbox is poop-free, and now I have to take out the trash before I end up forgetting. When he walked away from Charles, he inadvertently tripped over his laces before he yelped, falling face-first into the bag of waste as it burst open. The dog himself, was in shock, as his eyes grew wider than usual. He had no idea how to react from the gruesome incident.

"Wow…" he mouthed.

Upstairs, Cliff glanced around Lincoln's bedroom. He looked for anything he could take his dominance out on while Geo and Walt shared an awkward glance towards each other. The feline growled as he grabbed a hold of Lincoln's favorite stuffed animal, Bun-bun.

"Er… care to tell us what you're doing?" Geo asked out of curiosity, tapping the inside of his ball by his foot.

"Doan worry about what I'm doin' here." Cliff answered bluntly. He bit down on one of the bunny's ears, with intent to tear him apart. With little to no success, his eyes squinted as his sights were fixated on the toy. When he asserted his claws, he sliced the toy's shirt clean off, rendering him completely bare in the process.

Geo blushed upon observing Cliff's tampering. Walt couldn't help himself but jokingly give off a seductive whistle. In all seriousness, the cat just wanted to get even. "Dere. Dat oughta teach 'em!"

The hamster had no idea how to respond. "I-I… uh… whoa."

"Now he's getting the right idea." Walt smiled.

"You bet yer tail I am." Cliff deviously smiled. "I'd tell ya lil' runts ta leave da room but I have a feelin' somebody out dere'll git da wrong idear." He couldn't help but wiggle his eyebrows after that.

Geo gasped. "I thought this was a kid's show!"

The cat retorted by rolling his eyes in annoyance. "Of course, dat somebody bein' youse..."

"You know, we were never meant for kids in the first place." Walt retaliated before turning to Cliff. "And you, I can't believe I'm even saying this, but for once, I'm siding with the mutt." Cliff's head slanted. "I've been through a lot of situations like that to the point where I end up doing the same things you'd do… except my cases were justifiable."

"...Anyway, all this aside, you need to apologize to him." Geo kindly suggested.

Cliff was quick to his rebuttal. "I ain't got nothin' ta apologize fer, Ham."

Geo's arms extended out. He was a tad angry. "You basically lashed out at the boy over nothing!"

Walt was curious for answers. "What did he even do anyway?"

"Oh puh-lease! Ya were too busy stuffin' yer face in all dat food ta even know what da heck I was doin'!" The feline spat.

"Come on!" The hamster kneeled, begging for his obedience as a friend. "If you won't do it for him… at least do it for us!"

Cliff looked down at himself. As he clenched his fists and shook them, it hurt that he had to do one simple thing. But it was for Geo, and more importantly, himself. He sighed before he uttered one more response. "I'd nevuh thought I'd say dis, but... let's git dis ovuh wit'."

A few minutes later, Cliff sat at the table in the living room. Lincoln presented a bowl of pate for the feline to dig into, in hopes it'll be enough to dumb down the tension between the human and his house pet. "Well, there you go!" He nervously smiled.

Cliff just sat there, staring at the dish. It's almost as if there was something wrong with it. But to him, there is. It wasn't even warm enough for him to devour. He angrily meowed at Lincoln.

"What do you mean you don't want it?" His confusion boosted immensely. Did the cat think that he did something to his delicacy? He would never even think to do that. Did he prepare it incorrectly? He's been knowing how to make it for months. "I've made your food the same way every time! What makes you think this time would be any different?" Cliff's eyes came halfway shut as he flipped the bowl, the contents splashing over his shirt.

The child gasped. "What the heck? Why did you do that?" He stretched his shirt out. "This was the only shirt I had left in my room while the rest of them were getting pressed at the cleaners!" He groaned as he quickly rushed upstairs. "Now I have to go upstairs and try to clean this off before it starts to get worse."

Cliff rolled his eyes before his stink eye focused on the reader.

A couple of minutes later, Lincoln tried another tactic to gain Cliff's forgiveness. With an ironing board behind him, he took a step to his right to present something he's never tried before. "Step right up for the massage of your dreams!"

Cliff meowed in confusion. He had a hunch that the boy would go out of his way to try and get on the cat's good side again. He tried to have a straight posture, but something cracked inside of him. With a meow out of nowhere, his ears flopped and let out a whimper. Rubbing his back, he'd eventually give in.

Lincoln grabbed the cat. "Don't worry. It's on the house." He set him down on the board. Before the boy even had to think, he pushed the cat down and massaged his back. For a while, it didn't feel comfortable with Cliff. After it went on for a good while, Cliff's tongue began to roll out from comfort. He gave off a purr from the good sensation Lincoln provided. Hey now, it was starting to work. The boy thought if he kept it up, Cliff wouldn't be so mad with him anymore.

By the time the massage session was halfway complete, Charles, Geo, and Walt joined in to watch the entertainment. The cat was living a dream. Literally nothing could ruin this soothing moment for him. Unfortunately, there's a harsh reality that good things don't normally last forever. While the kid chopped the cat down by hand, his palm hit his cranium, accidentally causing him to bite down on his tongue. "Me-owwwww!"

Charles and the others had to omit a quiet gasp. This could be bad. Lincoln jumped back, unaware of what just happened. Cliff was getting even more furious with him now. As he would expect, he hissed at the child once again. "I'm so sorry, Cliff! It was an accident, I'm telling you!"

After gritting his teeth, the cat didn't have a choice on what he was going to do to Lincoln in a beat. He had crossed the line one too many times. He was sick of feeling disrespected for no reason whatsoever. He didn't count any accidents as an excuse with the way his body language was presented.

Lincoln reached into his pocket and pulled out a bill that had a good amount of value, twenty dollars. "Here, can we please forget this ever happened?"

Forced to put the kid in his place, Cliff lunged at Lincoln without any warning. Charles and Geo had their paws over their heads in shock. Walt just stood there, watching the battle as he began pecking at a piece of popcorn he found on the floor. There wasn't anything they could do from there. Slashing at his face, another melee cloud ensued. Lincoln resorted to screaming from the unsuspecting attacks Cliff had to unleash on him. After the cloud cleared up, Cliff dusted off his paws. The only thing that mattered to him was done and out of the way. Now, he was satisfied.

When he walked away feeling proud of himself, Charles glared to him in mere disappointment. Cliff stopped to take notice of him. He just couldn't let one simple thing go. Instead, he just let it get the better of him. He had to shake his head, along with Geo, who covered his face. It's like he didn't even want to see the face of a monster. The monster, happened to be Cliff. As he continued staring at his disappointed pals, his ears flopped down. Happiness quickly shifted to sadness.

.

.

.

"What have I done…"

* * *

Three hours had passed after the beatdown. Lincoln laid in his bedroom, treating his wounds with a couple of bandages. He was really furious with Cliff after all that he's done to try and make amends with him for the accidents he didn't intend to cause. "That crazy cat," He muttered under his breath. "So this is how he wants to repay me? After everything I've done?"

Curious but fretful, Cliff poked his head into the child's room, holding a rose in his mouth. Seeing his face after what he did, had the feline feel something. He's never felt it before, and it never happened with anybody. He looked down as he gave himself a silent sigh. Both parties were hurt, and one of them only wanted to make peace with the other. All the boy wanted was for him to stop having a fit over questionable situations. But now, the tables seemed to have turned.

After setting the flower down, the feline gave off a sorrowful meow to Lincoln. As much as he didn't want to see him right now, he had no choice but to leer at him. "What do you want? Come to attack me again?"

Cliff replied with another meow. He looked down for a bit before he avoided making eye contact with him. Lincoln had no idea what the cat was up to from this point. But, the moment he flopped his ears, he paid him with his undivided attention.

"Why are you doing that?" Lincoln sincerely asked.

The feline had uttered a bunch of meowing, trying to start off a simple monologue about the way he's been acting towards him today. He rubbed down his arm as he started to look up to him. As it went on for at least a few moments, the boy of the siblings was starting to understand. The feline finally managed to realize that what he did to him wasn't entirely his fault. Because he had to overreact and scar his face over something that wasn't even a big deal, he felt like it left a stain on their bond between a kid and his pet.

Lincoln's head slanted down. "No Cliff, I'm the one who needs to say sorry..." He felt that he was partially to blame too for what had happened. Never mind that he really had nothing to apologize for what happened, he decided to do this to himself. "It's my fault that I've been so clumsy recently. I have no idea what happened, I've been nervous about doing favors for all of my sisters for the day and I'm afraid of letting them down."

Cliff thought to himself. "Ya weren't nervous when ya listened ta whatevuh you were listenin' to."

"As the only brother they look up to, I have to fulfill my promises that I have to keep… even you and the rest of the pets. But, seeing how much you're not being happy with what I've done for you… I… I've failed you. I'm… I'm sorry it had to come to this..."

Cliff's sympathy arose. Now he's starting to understand what led to all of this happening. As much as he didn't want to feel sorry for the boy, it was an appropriate action for him to perform. But what Lincoln didn't expect, was a little bit of advice from the cat… of anyone on the planet they lived on.

Cliff began his meowing again for a bit before he concluded with a confident smile.

Lincoln was confused for a bit. "You're saying I shouldn't be apologizing so much?"

Cliff gave a thumbs up before he winked. From the boy's honesty, the cat did have a point about what he was saying. He shrugged to show off an example. "Meow-wow."

"Oh well…" Lincoln's head raised high. "You're right! I guess that sometimes in life, accidents happen. Whether it was just a mistake or an accident we didn't mean to cause, it's not worth beating ourselves up over."

Cliff smiled before he meowed once again.

"I'm glad that this is all between us now." Lincoln held his hand out, intended to be a simple handshake. "No hard feelings? Do you forgive me?"

Cliff stood there for a moment. He figured that a handshake wouldn't be the best choice to seal the deal. He had a better way. Catching Lincoln off guard, he lunged at him as his paws wrapped around him. It was a hug that the boy never thought he'd see coming. A smile took over his face as he purred, snuggling upon his cheeks. Lincoln guessed it was safe to say the Cliff forgave him, finally.

"Aww, thanks Cliff." He scratched him on the head before his eyes widened up upon seeing Bun-bun and the shredded pieces of his shirt. "What the..?" He grabbed the toy animal before he glared at the nervous feline. "Care to explain?"

The feline pulled out the exact same twenty dollar bill he got from the child before he gave an awkward chuckle and a smile. Let's say we... forget about this?

* * *

~End~


	39. Naughty By Nature

Story 38: Naughty By Nature

* * *

6:00pm

As usual, a typical Saturday night befell the sweet neighborhood of Royal Woods. With dark skies getting ready to set in, crowded by clouds, it's a nice time to get out and do something fun. This was yet another opportunity the family was willing to take. While the kids were gone with their parents to Spunky's Pizza Palace, the streets weren't exactly as active as it normally was. Nobody was outside to play, almost as if the neighborhood was an empty town filled with zero promises whatsoever.

In the doghouse outside, Charles laid on the grass, looking down at a few blades. His depressed mood he withheld had him omit a loud sigh. His paw grazed at a green blade as his mind was locked on the kids that took him in. He was sad, and yet he didn't know why. Not a single answer struck his little canine brain. It's just unexplainable to him.

Before he knew it, a cricket hopped up on the dog's snout. The inside of him felt a freezing sensation as he yelped and jumped back. Of course, Charles ended up shattering something, but that didn't matter to him. Was he that much of a fraidy animal to such a harmless insect?

"What? Nah." Charles faced the reader and waved a paw dismissively.

He had no problem chasing down and playing with a butterfly. It wasn't like it was going to attack him.

Just then, some muffled hip music blared inside the Loud House. Wonder what could be going on inside? Was there a party going on or what?

"Eh? Da heck's goin' on?" Charles shook his head as he walked to the doggy door before entering at a swift pace.

He entered the living room. "Hey! What's wit' da blarin' music? I'm tryin' ta—" He stopped himself as his sights caught a glimpse of the savage cat sitting comfortably in a chair, bopping his head to the rhythm. Walt flew around irritably as Geo plugged his ears up. It's like they couldn't take the heat, yet they weren't in the kitchen at the time. Valuable items started falling to the ground. A select few of them shattered into pieces, and the cat didn't even give a flying fur about it.

After two quick shifts of his peripheral view, Charles loudly asked. "What da everlovin' heck is goin' on here?!"

Cliff turned to Charles sinisterly. "Doin' stuff I ain't supposed ta be doin'! Why?!"

The dog shook his head. "But cat, ain't dis how we got all dem noise complaints?!"

Walt flew in to intervene. "We almost got our arses kicked out for that!"

Geo rolled in to ask a piercing question to the feline. "Don't you even care about us and our family?" He shrugged harshly.

"And why dis type of music of all da othuh tings ya coulda chose?" Charles curiously asked.

"Cause dog," Cliff whipped out a remote and muted the booming tunes before he turned to his three pals with a determined smirk that was hooked on his face. "Dis is what bad boys be listenin' to."

An awkward beat of pause ensued. It had his companion really confused as to what he was even talking about.

"I… huh?" Geo's head slanted a bit.

"Of course." Walt rolled his eyes.

Charles shrugged. "I really doan see where yer drivin' at wit' dis."

Cliff couldn't help but facepalm. Stuff like that was out for decades and he felt surprised that the dog and the hamster were just now discovering this. "I can't believe y'all dunno 'bout dis at all." He expressed dominance. "Dis is a time ta be alive! Dis is a time ta show ev'rybody who's da alpha in da pack!" Cliff's arms crossed as his smile of confidence ensued. "Ain't no time fer ya wimps to act like such doormats. It's time fer my pals ta step up fer rebellion in dis here joint!" His eyes squinted tight. "Dis is a time… ta be bad."

Silence lasted for at least a moment, trying to their best ability to marinate their thoughts about the feline's words. To no surprise, his pals still had a bit of confusion drifting around their mind. "I still dunno where yer goin' wit dis?" the dog spat.

Cliff fell forward. "Fer cryin' out loud!" He recovered, standing back up. "Ya doan wanna step outta yer comfort zone fer once in yer docile life 'n have some bit of fun?"

"Well of course I do, cat," He scoped around the living room. "But ya doan tink it's a lil' excessive ta trash da house like some kind of pig-sty?"

When the white hound least expect it, a random commercial aired on the television screen in front of the four mammals. Depicted as a pig dressed as some wannabe master of ceremonies, he spat some motivating words.

 _"So, you want to be bad, huh?"_ The pig uttered. _"Well, let me tell ya somethin' I might add, eh."_ He got into the camera. _"Start dominatin' yerself above dem all, da ladies will love ya fer it! Take a leak on someone's shoes! Have dose humans clean up after youse."_ He gestured to his pig pen. _"My pen's so fresh, I could dirty it up all_ ovuh _again, and be messier den before!"_

Just then, as the pig kept rambling on, given his short span of attention, Charles picked up a pen he just happened to find on the floor. It was a special type of pen where clothes would dissolve after hanging it upside down for a while. Wait, someone actually owns that in the house? And with that, it happened. His eyes widened up and wagged frantically as he visualized inches of the lady's tender body. With a content smile, he said "Well, he ain't wrong about dat!"

"Wow, that's… an interesting pen." Walt blushed, staring the same way as the incited pooch.

"Never knew those were a thing." Geo stood speechless after that.

"Ya know what…" Charles continued looking at the pen before a heart flew up from behind. "Stuff like dis makes me wonduh what coulda been if I was still a bad dawg." He set the pen down carefully, almost as if it was a fragile object. "I miss doin' all dat crazy junk now. I still remembuh when me 'n da cat took dat van out fer a joyride."

"I'm still upset about that, to be honest," Walt landed beside the hamster. "You don't know how hard it is to keep secrets to those two adults. They'll always find ways of finding out something. We had to pretend to search for them and everything while you two were gone!"

"Yeah… it was a living nightmare." Geo added, throwing his head down.

"Still, we made it back unnoticed, right?" Cliff crossed his arms with a devious little smile. In agreement, Geo and Walt gave the cat a light nod. When he eventually shifted his gaze to the pup, he spat "Dere's a buncha stuff dat ya need ta do so you can prove yerself of bein' bad like me." He counted on his fingers progressively. "Wit' all yer docility, submissiveness, 'n even yer weird butt-sniffin' greetings, I'd obviously say ya went soft."

"Er… alright?" Charles uneasily answered. "I uh-"

Cliff playfully punched Charles on his arm. "At least ya got some bit of bad in ya, from bein' filthy in da mud 'n fartin' all ovuh da place at times."

"Has that baby of the family influenced you in some way?" Geo curiously asked.

"My eyes are on the red athlete." Walt spat.

"No time fer follow-up questions ya two." Charles turned to Cliff. "What do I hafta do ta prove myself?"

"Trust me, dawg." Cliff's eyes squinted. "Yer gonna see soon enough."

* * *

In the bedroom of Rita and Lynn Sr.'s, Charles scoped the interior around. He searched for the drawer that held something that the naughty feline himself had something in mind. Regarding the dog's usual, common way of searching for something, he was surprised at that one minor detail.

"I'm surprised ya ain't usin' yer nose to find somethin' fer me." Cliff said, eyes glued to the dog as he's about to open up a drawer.

"Are ya sure about dis cat?" the dog asked. "I tink dis is a little bit too much." He opened up a drawer, revealing several of Rita's clothes for nighttime use.

"Ah chillout a bit why don'tcha." Cliff reassured to the pup. "It ain't dat risky now. Besides, it's just us fer now."

Charles hopped inside the drawer, and popped back up with a pink brassiere on his head. Pointing to it, the dog curiously asked "Is dis what yer talkin' about?"

"Frilly!" Cliff reacted, flicking his tail as he rubbed his paws with a smile. "Ya hit da jackpot!"

Charles returned his answer with a bashful smile. After a quick chuckle and a blush, he removed the piece of clothing and spat "Well now, guess I am a naughty boy."

Cliff cringed a bit. "Yyyeah, ya might not wanna do dat."

The eldest child's bedroom door creaked open as the pet duo didn't hesitate to enter. Maybe there was something in there waiting for Charles to tackle. But really, this was Cliff's next phase of his training and gratification. Was he really going to go through with this? The only answer to that was to just sit there and watch the dog do his dirty work.

Charles looked back to Cliff. Conflict befell upon him as their eyes made a connection. Was the cat really confident that this will help him be a bad pooch? With just a sinister-looking nod, his answer was simply a yes. He looked back inside before he deeply inhaled and exhaled. His heart almost felt like it was racing, but he just wanted this over with.

"Okay, here goes." Charles uncomfortably uttered to himself. He walked over to one of the sister's drawers. They didn't care which one, he just went for one. Opening up a drawer, which happened to be filled to the brim with Lori's cyan-colored shirts, he stared down at them before he barely stuck the brassiere inside. This was getting a bit bad for the two. After trying to fit the clothing inside, the drawer would barely close up now.

From this point, some stuff had to be taken out. How did the eldest teenager even manage to fit that many clothes in one slot anyway? Charles growled at it. Trying to the best of his ability to push it back shut to no avail, he accidentally got the drawer to come off of its wheels. Hearing the sound of it had the dog's heart feel like it was dinged like a bell. "Uh oh." he uttered.

The cat, being the mischievous little animal he is, didn't seem to give a care in the world. As the devious dog looked back to him, he smiled and gave a thumbs up. "Yer doin' good dere, dawg!"

"Is dere even a point ta dis?" Charles asked.

Cliff bravely uttered "Oh _well_ no!" He snapped his fingers before he pointed. "Dat's da whole point of bein' bad!" As he walked up to Charles, he had just about one more question to give to him. "How do ya feel? Feelin' da rush? Still feelin' like such a square?"

Charles' nervousness quickly shifted to fierce and determination. Walking to the door, he confidently spat "Bad, oh yeah, and-" He stepped on a toy duck, letting out a loud quack. "...no!"

Cliff's ears perked up as he left the room. "Well gee, dawg. I didn't tink ya had dat in ya."

"Doan get all soft on me now," Charles looked back. "Ya ain't seen nothin' yet!"

A minute or two later, a worthwhile montage ensued for the bad dog as heavy rock music played in his mind. Charles was in the living room, sinking his teeth into the couch. As the sound of tearing fabric ensued, it influenced the pooch to wag his tail. "Ha, take dat ya worthless pile of junk." Just then, Walt and Geo's mouths slowly started to grow agape.

The next thing the dog decided to do, was run around the kitchen with his muddy paws, tracking his steps all around. He let out a chuckle as he began to circle around the table. "Dis'll show dat mangy puss that I ain't soft like da rest of 'em!" After a few laps around, Charles spotted the baby of the family, giggling and waving her clean diaper around as if it was a lasso. Walking up to her, she let out a fart before she walked away into the dining room. It's almost like she didn't give a care in the world. "Ha. Nice one, kid!" Charles barked, lifting his hind leg to pass some gas just like she did. And with that, he followed her to the same room.

A few moments later, the dog sniffed about on the grass. Finding some plants in the distance, he walked over to them with a deceitful little snicker. Positioning himself, he peed on almost every petal of the flowers without even a care. Just then, their next-door neighbor Mr. Grouse burst his doors open to scold at him. "Dang it, Loud!" He walked to his plants, intending to shoo Charles away from his plants. "That's the last time your darn dog's goin' in my lawn!" The soaked plants began to wilt. Oh no. He'd really done it now. The old man's face began to turn red. Given that this wasn't the first time Charles had infiltrated his lawn, he'd left him with no other choice. He whipped out his phone, dialed some numbers and raised it to his ear. This was a good time to assert his own retribution… and teach a valuable lesson.

"Hello? Is this animal control? I'd like to file a report!" he said.

* * *

Heading down to Ketcham park for a little celebratory reward, Cliff patted Charles on his head. They were in some street garb, with shades, a hat and even a chain around their necks. He did great on asserting that dominance of his and showing that he wasn't one to mess with in the family. This was a good idea, that seemed to have turned out well, for the feline at least.

"Gee dawg," Cliff chuckled. "I'd never thought I'd say dis, but I'm startin' ta like ya a lot more fer whatcha did."

"Thanks, mate." Charles responded. "I can already feel my dominance assertin' at such a badarse pace!"

"Er… what?" Cliff was confused for a moment. "What did ya say? Are we really talkin' like dis now?"

Charles laughed. "It's funny, cause we've been talkin' like dis since da beginnin' of dis here saga." He gestured to the sky. "I almost feel da fame kickin' in from all dis chiz."

The cat rolled his eyes, having a feeling he knows where he was going. "Oh, doan be dat dawg."

Running into a couple of dogs of his kind as they freely roamed around the land, they gave off a little stare. They had no idea what he was donning at the time, but then again, they wanted to show off their dominance. Thinking Charles is just some wannabe bad boy trying to fit in with a bunch of other hounds, their staring turned to leering.

"Hey you, yer on our turf here!" one bulldog answered.

The dog glared back at them. "So what, bub?" He sat down and crossed his arms. "Ya doan run dis here joint."

Another bulldog growled. He was about the same size as the family dog himself. "Now now, no need fer ya ta resort ta disrespectin' here, ya lil' punk."

"It's too late fer dat, ya ain't gettin' no respect outta me." Charles spat his fire.

"Ya bettuh watch who yer talkin' to dere, ya runt."

Cliff whistled. He wasn't even looking. Charles stared down the relentless trio, testing them immensely just to see if they had the guts to retaliate against him. "Try me."

Silence lasted for at least a beat. The cocky pup asserted himself in front of the three bulldogs. Still not given a shred of convenience, they wanted to test him. The dogs were curious to see how bad Charles really is.

"Alright you. ya tink yer so tough?" one dog asked. "Why don'tcha take a leak on dat man ovuh dere?" He pointed to a harmless man, having a sip of lemonade. Once Charles noticed that there wasn't a top to his cup, it sparked a really bad idea.

The white pooch squinted his eyes. "I thought of somethin' even badduh den dat." He walked over to his cup and lifted his hind leg. After he relieved himself, the three dogs were left speechless, yet impressed. Cliff was in shock for a bit. He never did something like that.

Charles retrieved back to his pal with an evil snicker. As they all watched the oblivious man take another sip of his lemonade, the trio snickered just like the dog. Disgusted, the man quickly spit out his drink and cringed dramatically. "What the heck?! Why does it taste like that?" He concluded himself with a sickly green face afterwards, on the verge of vomiting.

Everybody sans Cliff was thrown into complete laughter. "How's dat fer bad?" Charles said, his arm playfully hitting the bulldog in his arm.

"Not bad for a runt like youse." The leader responded.

"I could do dat blindfolded!" The youngest dog spoke.

"Ya never been blindfolded before, how the heck would ya know?"

"Ya dunno what I do in my spare time, a'ight?" He winked cautiously.

The leader turned back to Charles as he walked away. "Now, how's dis fer bad?" Walking up to a moon bathing adult woman, relaxing herself as she let the rays do all the work, The leader of the pack looked at her and waggled his eyebrows.

As the group continued to look on, the dog got down to business. Everybody wasn't ready for what he just did, yet he managed to get everyone's tail to wag submissively. Cliff went as far as blushing, never mind that he tried to stop himself for letting that happen.

The leader ran away with the woman's clothes… that she got undressed with minutes ago. The woman chased him down immediately after. To him and the rest of his crew, that's what being bad felt like.

Cliff shook his head. Confusion filled him from what just happened. "Wow. Is it bad dat I honestly thought dat would go differently?"

"...Nah." Charles responded to his feline pal.

The youngest gave a glance to the cat. "Heh, I doan blame ya for a sec." He licked his lips.

The leader of the dogs approached them once again, only this time, the dog spat out a piece of the woman's clothes. The animals stood there without uttering a word. Out of everyone, Cliff was the most surprised. He honestly felt bad for the lady while the four mutts didn't show any kind of empathy. "Geez!"

"Hey look!" The leader spat. "Da puss here's a wuss!"

Cliff jumped a little, as if he took offense. "Scuse ya?"

The young one stepped in to lay one in. "Well, maybe I don't think yer dat hip fer us aftuh all!"

"It's fairly clear dat da one ter fer ya really lives up ta its name." The middle dog spat, unremorsefully.

Charles stood up for his pal. "Hey, dat ain't a nice ting ta say!"

The middle dog laid into the white pup without hesitance. "Oh, I'm sorry, I thought ya were a bad dawg!"

The leader crossed his arms. "What da everlovin' duck are ya thinkin', standin' up fer anothuh species?"

The middle dog grabbed Charles by the paw before he pulled him in close to his face. "Yer supposed ta be just like one of us!" He brought him in closer with each word he spat. "Bad, unremorseful, and _feared_ by everybody!"

Charles thought about those words long and hard. "F...feared?" That one word made him had second thoughts about being bad. What he was inside, was a beautiful, fun-loving dog that liked to do several things with a family he had. From leaving poop on the couch to playing in the mud, that's what made him who he is today. He didn't have to change his image just to prove he had the guts to be a bad dog in town. Despite this being a little lesson he was taught before from Lana, he'd rather keep his pals instead of just throwing them away. In all seriousness, that's true friendship to him on a regular basis.

When Charles looked down, his neutral sadness quickly shifted over to determination. He wanted to try and talk things out and possibly showcase a little lesson that he had to share with the rest.

"Alright ya guys," Charles sighed. "I really hate ta spit dis outta my mouth but, I hafta confess somethin'..."

Before anybody else could screech and yell, a van approached the four dogs and a cat. It was none other than Animal Control themselves that work at the Green Mile Pet Sanctuary. Corinne stepped out of the van with a modified dog-proof net and glared at the animal party. "Alright, I've got a load of complaints about you dumb animals, you're coming downtown!" She gave out a very nefarious laugh.

Noticing that she wasn't paying any bit of attention in the slightest, the bulldogs, Charles and Cliff used that to their advantage as they mischievously smiled. Bolting towards the woman, the middle dog bit down at her leg. She reacted violently, trying to shake him off before the youngest bulldog attacked from the rear. With a chomp on her butt, she jumped in pain. From this point, it surprised them that she didn't use any backup.

"Hey, same some of that arse fer me!" Charles barked, making a request. Cliff gave the lady some hands. His scratching tore off a good portion of her green uniform, eventually causing her to fall down to the floor. There wasn't anybody else surrounding her to either witness or call for help. She could definitely use it right about now.

Still in immense pain, the lady spat "Agh! Why you little furball!" She got surrounded at every corner by the animals. Oh no. This wasn't going to have a pretty result. After they growled at her harshly, they all jumped her. A cloud ensued with dog barks and cat screeches before Corinne yelled out. They were getting her good. Ouch.

After a moment, the animal party disbanded and went their separate ways. This way, it'd be more time consuming to capture them. They all stopped to looked back at each other and give off a wink before both parties turned to their peers and gave off high-fives and fist bumps. Charles laughed it off along with Cliff before the trio did the exact same. Wow, that was some encounter they had.

"Gee, I nevuh thought bein' such a bad dawg would be dis fun!" Charles spat, bumping the cat.

"Heh, yeah," Cliff said. I'd hafta confess ta ya somethin on our way back home." He winked. "I'm sure you'll unduhstand why I wanted ya ta have some of dis here uh… experience!"

Charles chuckled. "Whatevs, puss."

The cat glared at him immensely. "I'm gonna hafta give ya dese claws if ya spit dat out yer mouth again."

"Okay, geez! No need for ya ta have a hissy fit wit' me."

Back at the house, Charles and Cliff ditched the garb they wore on them before they entered the doggy door. They figured it'd be time for dinner by the time they returned. With two bowls filled with meat lovers pizza, and the whole family returned from their trip, everything seemed to be normal for them. Walt and Geo waved to them as they chowed down on a piece.

"Hey." Walt uttered.

"Where were you guys?" Geo questioned.

As they dragged their bowls to them, Charles dug in before Cliff could speak. "Dat ain't none of yer bidness, Ham."

Geo's expectations threw way out of proportion from his response. "I was only asking, geez!"

"And there goes a phrase that really lives up to its name." Walt rolled his eyes with a smirk on his face.

"Yet I'm still standin' here." Cliff spat before he stuck his face into his grub.

Charles licked his lips free from the grease before his tail wagged. "Dis is some good food here!"

The cat glanced to the dog. "Ya ain't wrong dere."

"Thanks fer a good time tonight." The pup winked.

"No problem, dawg." The cat concluded with a pat to his head, causing the latter to react playfully. As the rest of the group continued eating, they heard a noisy conversation from upstairs.

"Lincoln! Have you been in my drawer?"

"What? No!"

"Girls, I'm missing a bra from my drawer!"

As the pets all gave awkward glances towards each other for a moment, the dog out of everyone couldn't help but whistle a tune as innocently as he could. Welp, who's bad?

* * *

 **~End~**


	40. The Feliz Navi-dog!

_Story 39: Feliz Navi-dog!_

* * *

7:30 am

It's the most wonderful time of the year down in the neighborhood of Royal Woods. With snow invading the town, and sleigh bells sounding, there's no time such as the present. Heh, present. That's a keeper. Not even a cloud in the sky in the darkness, it seemed like yet another flawless day to celebrate. Christmas time had ensued for the world. Citizens all around, opening their gifts like there's no tomorrow. The Loud family on one hand, still snoozed their peaceful morning away for just a couple more minutes.

Charles walked outside in the snowy atmosphere through the back door of the house with a big slice of ham he stole from the kitchen in his drooling mouth. Keeping his peppy mood for the special holiday, he glanced at the reader, dropping his meat on the ground. "Hey you!" he said, smiling. "I'm real glad ta see yer face at a time like dis."

The pup couldn't help himself but wag his tail. "Boy, you kids ain't gonna believe dis here story I'm about ta tell ya. It was a bit intense fer me, but gosh almighty, I was able ta pull it off." He cleared his throat. "Now, ya know da baby of da house right? Da one dat roams around without a diaper on and a lean mean poopin' machine?" He shook his head slightly. "I hope ya weren't expectin' any different in da first place, she's still a sweet little angel." He expressed another smile, this one, being more content. "Now, she had dis stuffed animal dat she liked a lot. And I mean, a lot."

 _A flashback ensued for the pup. His memory remembered the time Lily set up a play date with her stuffed bear. There was a table with sippy cups on it and everything. As the baby of the family cooed softly, making goo-goo eyes at the toy, she grabbed her cup and clinked it next to her bear. She drank from her cup not long after before she belched and laughed it off._

When his flashback was complete, the white hound shook his head. "Eh… ya get da point." He walked around in circles. "She couldn't even go fer a minute without dat ting. It's like dat toy meant a whole lot ta her. She'd be darned if anythin' happened ta it." He blushed as he scratched his head. "Da ting is, I… mighta had somethin' ta do wit' dat." With a chuckle, he asked, "Which reminds me, are ya kids ready fer another excitin' story?"

A single pause ensued.

"Dat's great ta hear. Now dere ain't no time ta waste, time fer me to tell ya what happened." I can remember it all as if it were yesterday." He stopped to pop up and glance at the reader. "It's weird too, cause it really was yesterday."

* * *

12 hours ago

The siblings hummed in harmony as they descended a flight of stairs, their gifts to each of their sisters corresponded by their respective colors. Lily held her old teddy along with Lori's gift for her as she held her in her arms. She teethed on one side before the teen grabbed it from her slowly along with her teddy falling to the floor.

 _"It all started wit' everybody gettin' ready fer da_ hoiday _." Charles spoke._

"Poo-poo." Lily growled. Each one of them sans the baby showcased their calm and satisfied smiles.

"Alright, is everybody present?" Lori asked, looking back to her siblings.

Luan couldn't help but laugh as the eldest set her gift down. "That's a good one, Lori!" she gave an okay sign before the eldest teenager quickly realized and let out a groan.

"Gosh, isn't this the day to spread joy all around?" Leni set down her gift.

"Sure is," Lincoln uttered. "I have a feeling this might be better than last year!"

Luna set her gift down next to Leni's as everyone else would ultimately follow. "This is gonna be one heck of an awesome Christmas, dudes."

Lola joined her hands together. "I really hope I'm getting that fancy princess set I've been dying to have for the past three months!"

"Same here, but with a castle with a trustworthy dino dude action figure!" Lana added, excitedly.

Lucy took a glance down at her gift. "I could use an upgrade to my book of rituals."

Lisa gave a smile as she set her gift on top of Leni's. "I only need one thing that'll complete an upcoming experiment I've been doing progress on, and I heard it's slightly difficult for anyone to obtain." She turned back to her siblings. "And I do not wish to unveil my desire just yet. It's a surprise."

Just then, Rita and Lynn Sr. stepped inside the living room, but with more eclectic motion. "Alright kids," the father uttered. "Everyone set for tomorrow?" His feedback was filled with satisfied chatter from his offsprings. Given the reaction, he let out a smile. His teeth were shown as if it emphasized the way he felt.

His wife went over to the outlet next to the tree and plugged the lights in as they flashed multiple colors. "Now that we've got all of our shopping done, and thank goodness with a little time left to spare, I guess we can start having a little bit of fun."

"Like what, Mom?" Lincoln asked, the siblings' eyes on her.

His mother turned to Lori holding the youngest giggling child.

 _"Dat little munchkin was in da middle of celebratin' her first christmas_ evuh _." Charles uttered. "Dose kids wanted ta do everythin' dey can ta make dis one a memory dat'll last_ forevuh _."_

Realizing that this was the baby's first Christmas ever, she wanted to go out of her way to make this holiday the best yet. She then turned over to the teenage rockstar of the bunch. "Do you have any ideas for a nice Christmas tune?"

Luna thought to herself for a bit. "I might have one idea," she shrugged in an unsure fashion. "But I'm kinda making it up as I go so I don't know how it'll turn out."

Rita walked over to Lori and grabbed Lily from her arms. She paused for a second before an idea would come to her head. "Let's try some caroling and see where that goes."

Lincoln glanced over to Luna. "We'll help back you up if you're stuck on something!"

As others agreed, Luna thought to herself before she gave her input. "Why not. What's a song without my family to participate?"

"I'll be the first to back her up!" Lola spat as she backed up to the front door. "Unh, unh!"

"Wait, I wanna be the first to back her up!" Lana said to her twin, walking over to her before Lincoln would do the same.

"Well, who says you two can't back her up together?" he said.

"Linc's right. No need to argue over who does what." Luna added. "We can all do this together!"

"That's what family's for anyway." With every smile she could possibly accumulate, she joined the twins by the door before she opened it soon after. "Alright, let's hit our first house!"

From shortest to tallest, everyone walked out of the house. Their first house for the night was the McBrides. If the middle child was lucky enough, he'd have an extra member to join in the fun.

Just after the door closed with the lights dim, Charles waltzed into the living room, donning a Santa hat for the special occasion. Scatting up a tune on the top of his head, he snagged a couple of cookies from the table and scarfed them down. He even drank down the glass of milk that was just lying there next to the plate, down to the last drop.

"Ahh," he quietly uttered before he resumed his holiday scatting.

 _"And den, dere were four of us."_

Walt joined the room not long after, having the urge to sing to his heart's content. "Ohhh, what wondrous time of the year," he spun midair. "Perfect time to spread some joyyyy."

Geo entered the room almost immediately after, barely missing a beat. "And now's the time to break out the cheeeeer~"

Cliff walked in neutrally as if it was nothing at all. "So cut da signin' 'n get wit' da toys."

Everyone's singing came to an abrupt halt. Charles twitched a finger at the cat. "Now's not da time ta be such a grouch dere, cat!"

"I ain't no grouch," Cliff reassured. "I'm just not into singin'."

"Aw come on!" Geo said. "Who wouldn't want to break out the vocals at a time like this?"

Walt agreed. "Yeah, where's your spirit?"

Cliff rolled his eyes. "I dunno. It's just dat… Yeah, I really dunno."

Charles grew confused as he shook his head softly. "Whattaya mean, ya dunno?"

Geo rolled back in, donning a stethoscope and a white jacket. Whipping out a clipboard and a pen, he asked the stubborn feline, "Why don't you tell doctor George what's wrong?"

The feline sighed. "Well... ya doan need ta know." Receiving squinty eyes from his three peers, his eyes shifted left and right. He had no clear reason why he wasn't in the spirit to celebrate a joyous holiday. With the way everyone's staring at him, the cat grew just a tiny bit uncomfortable. One gulp in, he shook his head and sprinted to the kitchen. "You guys are scarin' me!"

With the three speechless, the dog spat "Bah, humbug."

"Poor cat." Geo said.

Walt squinted his eyes. He was determined to take some action to make something happen. "If he doesn't want to spill his words, then he leaves me no choice."

Out of straight curiosity, Charles asked the bird, "What are ya gonna do?"

Walt rubbed his wings together. "It's fairly obvious with what I'm gonna do, you filthy animal." His head lifted up slightly. "I'm going to get to the bottom of this." He flew out of the living room. A moment of silence later, Geo decided to follow the soaring avian to the kitchen.

"I'm going to get some answers if it's the last thing I do for the day." Geo spat.

Charles was left alone in the room. Having not a single idea on what he wanted to do next, he glanced to the reader and gave off a shrug. The jolly little pup took yet another cookie from the table and took a good-sized bite out of it. Just then, he influenced a tiny jump back. What was it?

 _"And_ aftuh _dat, disaster struck down on us." Charles nervously uttered._

It was a shadow of a bear, thanks to the roaring flames in the fireplace giving off the illusion on the wall. It looked as if it was in motion. Just the sight of its appearance and scary roaring sounds in his head had Charles shaking with anxiety. But no matter, he wasn't going to let something like that cause any harm to his family. Attempting to assert that dominance of his, he growled immensely and slowly approached forward.

Charles wanted to be heroic once again in his life. He could barely even think at this point. As the hound gave off two livid barks, he lunged towards the bear and grabbed it by the snout. He closed his eyes and his maliciousness ensued. The thrashing of the innocent animal slowly inflicted some bit of tearing. It got louder as the attack continued. The dog switched over to one of its arms now. He simply bit down on it and thrashed about once more. Hopefully, after this move, it'd be enough for him to win the battle.

As it turned out for him, he had the courage to fell a certain animal. With one simple toss on the green carpet behind him, it was finally over. He did it. For a second, Charles was proud of himself for what he'd accomplished. Until reality came out of nowhere to bonk him in his head. With close inspection, he never even realized that he tore up a stuffed bear… which happened to belong to the baby of the family.

Oh no. This wasn't good, at all.

 _"This was in fact, one of da worst tings imaginable." Charles spoke uneasily. "I thought dat was a live bear for a sec! I felt like a good boy once again! But dat wasn't da case wit' dis one... In all seriousness, can ya_ really _blame me though?"_

Charles could quickly imagine how everybody in the house would react if they saw this terrible turn of events. Obviously, there was one clear reaction; madness. The dog gulped and his ears dropped slightly before the front door would open up. "Uh-oh."

Not even given a chance to do something, Rita stepped inside with Lily in her arms. She searched around for the baby's stuffed animal which was nowhere to be found. Glancing over to a frightened Charles with his eyes covered by his paws, there it was, all torn up in pieces. Rita was in shock. She had no idea what to do.

Lily was more shocked than her mother. Already, she got the waterworks running. With tears streaming down her face, Charles was quick to realize his grave mistake. He was finished. Mission failed. Game over. With his ears drooped, his sights caught Lily crying over her toy.

Charles thought to himself, "Aw no… what have I done?" He quickly noticed a scowl on the mother's face. This was all types of bad here. She was furious with him. After she set Lily down next to the remains of her stuffed animal, she grabbed Charles and lifted him up.

"Charles! How could you!" she said in a stern nature. "That stuffed bear was Lily's favorite toy!" She forced the dog to observe Lily's lament. "Look what you've done!"

Charles' pupils shook slightly. He was full aware of how much pain his action had inflicted on the mother and the poor child. Now, the dog came to a realization that he had a new mission to conduct.

When Rita glanced over to the table, she was swift to notice the cookies and milk were absent. Looking back at Charles, she asked "Did you eat all of our cookies too?" The response she received was just a tiny belch from Charles. Geez, so much for timing. That was the last straw. She had no choice but to resort to some sort of punishment for the bad dog. Given that it's Christmas time, she decided to go soft this time around.

With a sigh, she uttered, "Well, I guess I have to go out to the store and see if I can find another one." Her response confused Charles as he was set back on the floor again. "Meanwhile, you can forget about getting something for Christmas tomorrow."

Charles jumped. "Aroo?!"

"I don't have time to argue." She pointed towards the dining room. "Now go outside and stay there until I get back." When Charles sadly but calmly got up on his fours and obeyed her command, she had one last thing to utter. "Hopefully you'll use some of that time to think about what you did."

As Charles approached the doggy door in the kitchen, a lightbulb flashed over his canine head. An idea struck him fast as a bolt of lightning. He smirked as he glanced at the reader. "Or maybe I'll use dat time ta set tings right!" he thought to himself.

Pausing for a moment, he glanced back to find Rita watching him. His determination masked itself with lament as he walked out of the door. "I'll wait a bit later after she's gone."

Less than a minute later, Charles arrived back at his doghouse. What he observed was something he wouldn't have expected to see happen from his very eyes. Some roughhousing occured between his three companions, two of them wanting answers from the feline.

Walt approached him in a close proximity. "Come on cat, spit it out!"

Geo wrote down the actions depicted. "Feline, still being stubborn… after five minutes."

Despite not knowing a thing that was going on, the dog broke the ice between them. "What are ya guys doin' fightin' in my house?" he asked, curious and confused.

Walt's tone changed as if he took offense. "Excuse you, we're not fighting here."

"We're just trying to help our friend here but he's not cooperating!" Geo added.

"I am cooperatin' here," Cliff spat. "It's you two dat ain't listenin' ta what I'm sayin'!"

Charles wasn't in the mood at the very moment. "Alright, stop it, all of ya!" he said. "If any pet in dis house needs da help we can get, it's me!"

The pets froze. Out of everyone they could've imagined, especially over Walt, they never thought it'd be the dog in need of some assistance. Given his jolly spirit over the holiday, they were understandably puzzled.

"Wait a minute," Cliff uttered. "You need help?"

Geo's curiosity built up immensely. "How come you need help?"

"And I thought the puss need it the most." Walt added.

Cliff grew irritated by the second. "I'm gonna hafta tell ya again, don't ya evuh call me dat." he said to Walt.

The bird responded by rolling his eyes. "Whatever you say, ...cat."

The feline nodded. "Dat's bettuh."

"Geez, cat. It's just an alternative term." Geo neutrally uttered.

Charles called out to his peers, feeling ignored by them. "You guys! My problem?!"

Walt groaned as he turned to the dog. "What about it?"

"I've done somethin' bad…" The dog grabbed the cat's arms, shaking him back and forth. "Reeeal bad!"

"Ya pooped on da couch again?" Cliff curiously asked.

"Did you eat through another pair of boots?" Geo added.

The avian was getting irritated. "Get on with it already, why don't you?"

With paws in his head, Charles spat, "I… accidentally tore the baby's teddy!"

One by one, everyone gasped. It was a shock to them they never saw coming. Not wanting to believe his words, Walt asked one simple questtion. "You're… you're joking right?" he asked. "This has to be some kind of joke."

Cliff glanced to the skeptical avian. "Bird, I doan tink he'd joke about doin' somethin' bad."

"Crikey, this must be serious." Geo uttered.

"I just doan know how da heck dis happened!" He showcased a portion of the teddy's remains. "See?"

The hamster covered his mouth. "Oh no!"

"Dang, you tore that thing up real good." Walt spat.

"Gee, dat ting's definitely no good." Cliff concluded.

Charles rolled his eyes. "Ya tink?" He dropped the remains. "How am I gonna fix dis here toy fer da kid?"

Cliff, Geo, and Walt stood around for a bit. They were stumped without any ideas. "Beats me." the cat answered.

"I don't have anything dude." Walt added.

Geo sadly glanced down. "I'm sorry, but nada."

The hound shook his head. Normally, he'd expect at least one idea to come from their feral minds. "Are ya kiddin me? Not one of youse can come up wit' somethin' ta help me out here?" His feedback were the three slowly shaking their heads horizontally. So with that, Charles' response to them was an elaborate facepalm. "Wowza, thanks ya guys."

"Er… no problem?" Walt spat.

Geo provided the pooch with some confidence. "I'm sure you'll figure something out in no time, dog."

"Ya are da dawg wit' da plan aftuh all." Cliff winked.

Charles gestured to the house. "Now whadda 'bout da kid? She's in dere runnin' da waterworks cause of me!" Clamping his paws together, he asked his pals for a desperate favor. "Could ya please help do somethin' about her, fer me at least?"

Geo was quick to agree. "Don't worry, you can leave that to us!" Cliff and Walt followed along with a smile of determination.

Charles couldn't help himself but shake their paws and wings vigorously. "Gee, thanks pals! I dunno what I'd do without ya!"

Walt winked. "Yeah! This holiday isn't a time to sit here and lament about things."

Cliff placed his paws on his hips. "We hafta do everythin' we can ta lift da kid's spirit."

The hamster rubbed his stubby little paws together. "And I think I might have an idea on how we can do that."

* * *

Back inside, poor little Lily was still sitting there as she continued her lament about her stuffed animal. Her pupils slowly shook and her eyes began to water again. "Teddy…"

She toppled over, laying on her left side. After she got a sniffle in, she heard some subtle steps approaching her to a great degree. Who could it be, she wondered? The answer to that question was Charles' three good pals, Cliff, Geo and Walt. They looked at her, noticing her pain from the destruction of her toy bear.

Feeling quite bad for her, Cliff approached her with intent to spark a conversation. "Hey dere, little one." he meowed to her before he petted her on her head. "Why so sad?"

"Doggie bad." Lily spat, frowning with her arms crossed.

Walt landed in front of her face. "Come on you," he tweeted as Geo approached him. "Turn that frown upside-down!"

The hamster tampered with Walt's mouth, making him smile with a show of teeth. He would show his smile as well, in hopes to get the depressed Lily to lighten her mood, at least a little bit. She was confused by what they were trying to do. With a simple babbling response from her, the pets shared an awkward glance towards each other. From this point, they might as well think of something else.

Cliff tried to make a funny face. Shaking his head, derping his eyes with his tongue wailing about, he was able to extract a reaction out of her. That sad expression of Lily's traversed into unamusement. She's seen Lincoln's faces before, and not a single one got her to elicit a smile. His silliness toned down to sadness not long after. The cat's ears flopped down. "Aw, I thought dat always cheers ya up." he meowed.

"Well you thought wrong, cat." Walt tweeted.

Cliff shifted his irritated gaze on the bird. "Den how 'bout ya show us how it's done, why don'tcha?"

Walt facepalmed before he gave a shrug. "You seriously didn't notice that I already tried? If we can't figure out how to get this child out of a sad slump, the dog's going to lose his marbles."

Geo pointed to the television stand. "I thought those were his marbles..." Noticing that there was a jar halfway filled with marbles, Cliff shook his head and turned to the hamster.

"Now's not da time fer dis type 'o crud." he meowed, this time, patting Lily on her head. "Dis kid needs our help, and we're gonna give it ta her." His paw made a finger, intent to remind his peers about a key detail. "Plus, da mutt's countin' on us!"

Walt nodded. "He's right. I can't believe I'm doing this, although I'm never this soft towards anyone before, but this is what family is for."

Geo's eyes squinted. "Alright you guys, we all know our mission." He put his paw in, followed by Cliff's paw and Walt's wing almost immediately after. "Operation: Cheer Up is still a go!"

The three pets began to break. "Yeah!"

While the three stood for a moment, watching Lily rocking softly to her left and right, the hamster had an occurring thought come to him. "Also, I hate to bring this up, and I really do hate to bring this up, but is no one seriously going to mention that none of the family's watching over her?"

Walt scratched at his head. "If anything, we're way better authority figures than those forgetful human beings."

"Well, need I remind ya, in dis house, it's all a big mystery." Cliff added. "And a load of possibilities too if dat ain't enough."

Geo was impressed with the feline's answer. "You're not lying, I'll give you that." He shrugged. "Now, come along with me you guys." He strutted towards the dining room while the others including Lily followed him from behind. "I'll kick this mission off with a bit of showbiz… I mean showtunes!"

"Bah, I ain't in da mood ta sing!" the feline spat.

Walt smirked. "Too bad, cat!"

* * *

Just inside the parents' room, Charles desperately dug around the place. He spent a good few minutes looking for something to patch up the worst mistake he's ever made. _"I've spent a good amount of my time tryin' ta find everythin' I can ta make amends." he spoke._ The first thing on his mind was some tape. He was sure it'd be enough to fix the toy up.

Finding a roll in the mother's drawer he spat. "A-ha! This oughta do da trick."

With determination getting in the pup's way, he rushed back to the living room, collecting the rest of the remains he had tore into. Looking back and forth between that and the tape in his drooling mouth, the canine currently experienced some second thoughts. What if that first idea of his didn't work out like he thought it would? What if it tears apart again after a while? Charles looked at the bear irritably and shook his head, but not before extracting the roll from his mouth.

"Nah, dis won't work at all." he uttered. Just then, another light bulb flashed above his head as he slightly lifted it up. "Maybe some bit of glue oughta work out bettuh den dis!"

A couple of minutes later, Charles returned back to the stuffed animal. "Alright you, it's time I fix ya up… I hope." With every piece still lying around at the same spot, the canine animal got down to business. It felt like forever to him trying to piece together all the parts. But, he was confident enough that it would all be worth every second of it to make the pure child proud. Finally, after just another tiny attachment and adjustment to the bear, the pup was done.

"Dere, good as new!" he said, arms on his hips. The only problem? The arm was on the wrong way, and the bear's head fell clean off a couple of seconds in. So much for another potential idea that seemed to go down the drain. He quickly performed a facepalm. "Dang it." A sigh in, he had to come up with another alternative. There had to be something in his canine head that'll spark that perfect solution to a situation such as this. His desperate state of mind made him feel like he really needed it right this second.

The dog knocked on his head. "C'mon now, gimme something ta work wit' here!"

A moment later, he encountered a brain fart. Nothing. Absolutely nothing. He stood there for a second before he growled at himself and shook his head. "I'm wastin' time here! Gimme somethin', please!"

Some ticking ensued in his head. There still wasn't anything the dog can work with. When he took a glance over at one specific present underneath the tree, the turquoise color of the paper reminded him of the teenage fashionista. A thought bubble popped over his head. Leni might be a silly ditz to some people, but she definitely had a knack for doing a lot of stuff that involved clothing. From knitting to decorating and designing her wardrobe, she was the teenager that had it all. Given that information that floated around in his thought, it poofed away and revealed a flashing lightbulb.

Charles smiled once again as his tail expressly wagged. He lifted a paw up and pointed upward. "I've got it!"

Just then, as he was in the middle of taking a couple steps away from the toy, he overheard an array of stomps to the floorboard. It was coming from the kitchen, not far away from where he now stood. What could be going on in there? "Eh? What's all dat noise?"

Curiosity would get the better of him, clearly. Knowing how he can snoop into people's business and personal space sometimes, it's no wonder he wouldn't try to stay out of what was happening. With just a peek into the kitchen, the dog was given a sight of a neutral Lily and the rest of his pals stomping their paws down to a rhythmic beat. Geo kept his pure tone, Walt moved his head a bit to their stomping, while Cliff played along, acting like he's enjoying the good time.

With four more stomps at a steady pace, Geo squeaked "One, two, three, four!"

* * *

Geo stepped forward in a swing mood before he sang. " _Now come on, friends of mine, it's time to paint a little smile!_ "

The feline shaped up a smile for Lily, as she raised an eyebrow. "Poo-poo?"

"There's no time to feel mad or sad," Geo spins on the floor and sticks a landing pose. " _You_ gotta _celebrate with style!_ "

Walt flew in circles with a lightweight present for him to carry, keeping the mood of the musical number. " _We always have to look forward_ " He inadvertently dropped it on Cliff's head, knocking him out temporarily. " _To all those wondrous presents._ "

The bird walked back in scene, tapping away at a phone. " _It's all a big priority,_ as well as _a turn of events_." He gave Lily the phone, the screen showing that it was her turn to roll a die.

Just then, a sea of candy fell on top of the group. Geo was on top of the counter though, he was the one that caused the event. " _We'll freeload on a bunch of sweets,_ "

Lily and Walt's head popped up from the candy-lanche. " _Like peppermint and chocolate!_ " He turned to the baby. "Although we can't have it."

Cliff poked the child from behind, licking a candy cane without a care. " _What about all dat wad of value? Boy, I'll be stuffin'_ mah _pocket!_ " He dropped his cane and rubbed his arms together sinisterly.

The hamster walked in scene once again, holding a scepter and wearing a robe fit for a small rodent like himself. " _The attire, preferably cotton,_ " He rubbed himself. " _Such a warm and fuzzy sensation._ "

Walt was now wearing a tight sweater as he looked down at himself in disbelief. " _If we're wearing ugly sweaters,_ " He angrily looked to the reader. " _I'll feel a burning frustration._ "

"Same!" Cliff added.

"Forget that!"

A quick solo took place. One by one, the four tore off their ugly sweaters in rhythm. They switched into their winter outfit and continued their show tune outside in the backyard.

The hamster of the bunch kicked it off, once again, as Lily watched it all go down in front of her. "Ohhhh _, It's time to have some Christmas fun,_ " He resorted to rhythmic prancing. " _In all that fluffy snow,_ "

Cliff popped up, sending Geo in midair. His head bopped sideways in sync. " _Oh, what a way ta celebrate,_ " His paws raised up into the air. " _Da day dat we all know!_ " Geo hit the cat's head, inflicting a meow out of him.

Walt slid across a frozen puddle in the backyard. " _We'll skate across the freezing ice,_ " He dismounted and stuck a landing. He picked up a snowball and aimed it at an empty can, and Geo. " _Slam each other in a snow brawl._ " He launched the ball, missing the hamster as he jumped and knocking down the can he intended to hit.

Geo landed into the snow and smiled, putting his paws and feet in motion. " _Nothing wrong with snow angels,_ " Cliff ran across, dragging a sled across the snow with a giggling Lily seated on it. " _Or a ride the cat can haul!_ "

Joining their paws and wings together, the pets moved together from side to side. With cheerful joy, they sang their made up chorus to Lily. " _We_ gotta _share that Christmas spirit, no matter what we do,_ " The baby laughed, she was enjoying it, despite not knowing what they're saying of course. The pets swung their arms. " _It's time to spread that happy joy_ ," The cat dragged Lily close. " _C'mon, let's not be blue!_ " He kissed her nose, like a little boop.

When Lily joined in, the chorus got happier. " _It's a holly jolly Christmas, the day we know and love,_ "

From Charles's point of view at the doggy door, he grew impressed by their jolly performance. _"Huh. Dat ain't half bad. I'll give 'em dat._ " He scratched his chin. " _Now, where was I?_ " It struck him in the head in an instant. _"_ Oh _yeah!"_

Sprinting inside the eldest teen's room, the dog looked around for a certain kit. The one in question was for knitting. Where Leni could've stashed it was anyone's guess. But no matter, he needed to find it. "C'mon, where are ya?" Charles spoke, his paw grazing against the floorboards. With little to no success at the moment, he had an idea of where Leni's kit may be resting.

"I wonder…" he smirked. Digging into another drawer to his right, his paw grazed along with the materials he needed. He smiled upon notice. "A-ha!" Pulling Leni's kit out he spat, "There ya are!" Just then, he walked out into the hallway and went back downstairs. With a determined glare in his face, the dog pulled himself together before getting right to work. "Alright, ya dumb lil' toy," he said. "Doan fail me now."

His knitting game wasn't as good as he thought it was, because he's never done anything like this before. This was his first time yet he really had no idea what he was doing. He gulped immensely over time, but he had to try and pull it off, for him, for Rita, and for the youngest wholesome child of the family. He softly growled at himself, trying to show off his majestic dominance.

When he thought he was making a bit of progress with trying to reair the stuffed toy, he unintentionally poked himself with the sewing needle. Realizing the pain, Charles howled, "Awooo!" Shaking his punctured paw, he grabbed it with his other. His eyes shook, cringing away as he watched his paw. Thankfully, his paw wasn't bleeding or anything. Lucky him.

He kissed his paw almost immediately after before stroking it gently. "Dere dere, I didn't mean ta hurt ya."

With an angry-looking scowl, he kept going at his business. No pain in the world was going to stop him from completing his only mission. His only thought at the current moment was, if he didn't succeed the first time, he can always try again. The only problem that stood in his way is a deadline, which could easily happen to him without any warning. So with that, he had to waste no valuable time fixing his mistake.

But, the faster he went, his results would turn out wonky. With the misshapen appearance of the toy now, his gaze locked on to it. His eye twitched a bit a moment in, wondering how could it turn out like that. With a shake to his canine head, he once again spat, "Dang it." That wasn't supposed to happen. Charles couldn't help but let out an immense growl. "C'mon Charles, you can do dis!"

Determined to keep on trying, he quickly dismantled the toy once more. Scratching his chin, he said, "Shouldn't be so hard ta handle." Charles began grabbing a stuffed arm. "Dis goes right here." He joined the body and the arm together, puncturing them with another needle. Not long after, he grabbed the head. "And dis ting goes right on top… I tink." With confidence, he joined together the two pieces and sewed them down. There, progress was finally being made. Now all that's left for Charles was to observe how long his repairing will last for him.

Charles wiped off his forehead, leaving behind some sweat. "Alrighty, I tink my work here is... finito." He winked at the reader and picked up the toy bear. "Now all dat's left fer me is ta get dis ting to da kid." Without any time to spare, he sprinted towards the kitchen. He assumed that's where the baby and his pals were, until it turned out for him, they weren't there anymore. But he did notice something else, a stack of presents he didn't notice were taken from the living room, and a mess of cookie crumbs all over the checkered floorboards. The pup was honestly confused out of his mind. What the heck happened in there?

Charles shook his head as he spat, "What da evuhlovin' flea…" He glanced to his left and right. There wasn't a trace that could lead him to his disappearing pals. "C'mon now, dere has ta be somethin' here dat'll take me to dat dang cat, 'n da bird, ...'n Ham." He tried going outside to have a look around. He'd figure that was their whereabouts if they're not inside the interior. As it turned out, he was right after all. "Oh yeah, dat's right." Finding his three animal pals preparing the baby up for a little sleigh ride once again, it put a little bit of faith in his heart. He smiled, knowing they'll do anything to cheer up a member of the family. "Ah… dat's mah pals."

The heartfelt pup took a good look back at Lily's patched up toy and stared into it as deeply as he could. _"And at dat moment, it was enough ta get me ta realize somethin_ ' _dat day."_ He narrated, saltwater tears filling up his vision. _"Helpin' out a friend in_ need, _and settin' tings right sure can take ya a long way."_ So with that, the determination began to build up inside him again. He's just a few yards away from completing his only mission for the night, and he just hoped that for once, especially on a holiday such as this, nothing would deter him from completing his objective.

Charles grabbed a hold of the toy by teeth and turned to the porch steps. Just then, he lost his footing and slipped into a pile of trash bags just ahead of him, head first. He got his canine face inflicted with some pain from the impact. He didn't think the surface would have the impact of some discarded boxes that the parents threw out. Granted, they thought it'd be a better surprise to extract the products and wrap those instead of the box themselves in an attempt to save up some of their profit. But, who's to say that this was a rather risky move they're trying to pull off?

No matter, that wasn't important for the peppy little hound. He needed to get that bear to the child, and it needed to happen as soon as possible. There wasn't enough time for him to just laze around. He hopped up and ran towards the party, unknowingly leaving behind the toy's arm that fell off.

When he was a few feet away, he realized a piece of the bear was missing. "Yipe!" Charles yelped. He rushed back to the trash and grabbed the arm. Getting a gulp in, he made an attempt to try and fix it back up by hand… or paw, in this case. Treating the bear's hole like a socket, the pup tried to jam the arm back inside. "Get in dere, you..."

By the time he awkwardly struggled for a good couple of seconds, Cliff, Geo, Walt, and Lily wouldn't still be by the backyard. When the arm finally stayed put, Charles swiftly uttered out "Phew! Thought dat would nevuh work. But I'm glad it did." before winking to the reader. He had to get back on track. Running over to his three good pals, he stopped in his own tracks, thanks to a draft grazing upon his fur.

He shook a bit and uttered a tiny growl, before something he didn't expect inflicted a sensation to his cold nose. A few sniffs in, he let out a big sneeze, throwing the bear down into the cold snow. When he unintentionally tore the teddy's head off once again and covered it with some of his clear snot, the hound began to panic again as he soothed his nose.

"Aw c'mon!" he spat. He did show off some of his hesitation after what just happened. Not only was it a broken mess, it just had to get a little nasty too. So much for trying to patch things up between him and his family.

When an acorn or two fell directly onto Charles' noggin, he instantly turned to the tree above him. "Hey, dat ain't helpin', y'know!" He shook his head, confused. "Bah what am I doin'? Now I'm out here talkin' ta trees dat's _several_ decades old!"

He could barely even pick the bear up from the patch of white snow. Holding its head by his index finger and his thumb, he cringed at it. "Aw geez, I know dat I can just go back inside 'n wash dis ting, but it'll take forevuh, and it'll look even worse den it was before!"

Just then, a squirrel he liked to encounter all the time in the backyard had approached him. With a few churrs to itself, he scouted around the remains of the torn up teddy. The dog was confused. "Huh?"

What was it trying to do? Torment him while he's down? Search for some more acorns in the snow? The answer Charles would get would be both, but it wasn't obvious to him just yet in his own point of view.

Not even having to think, the squirrel grabbed the teddy's body and scooped the two acorns he found inside. Running off with it at top speed caught the dog off his guard. His gasp shifted to a mad growl in the blink of an eye. That's enough to set off a desperate hound.

"Get back here, ya theivin' son of a rodent!" Charles spat, chasing the culprit down. "Give it back!"

From running in complete circles, to figure eights, to even diagonally and other patterns imaginable, the chase didn't seem to last for a short bit of time. But it all came to an abrupt halt when the hasty squirrel ran back into its tree, causing Charles to slam face first into the hole. Ouch. If that wasn't serious enough for him, his head got stuck for a brief moment inside. Hesitating for a few to try and figure out how to free himself, he got into a comfortable position and pushed his legs. A struggle or two later, his head freed itself without a hassle.

Charles grew just a tad angry. "Darn pests, dey sure do drive me crazy, I swear!" he spat, looking back inside the hole before taunting the rodent with "Doan tink I ain't through wit' ya!"

He reached a paw inside the hole and grabbed ahold of one of the teddy's legs. With every tug he did, he received a yank back with no hesitance to spare. Currently, It was a standoff between him and the animal that he really doesn't like. An all out game of tug-o-war. A one versus one duel for the ages. Who's going to take this home?

Charles yawned. "Seriously? Y'all know what da answer is ta dis one." With one final yoink, the dog finally got back the main piece of the teddy he needed. "And dat answer is not some pudgy, weaklin' of a bad squirrel! If ya guessed right, ya get no points."

When Charles chuckled, he sat and watched as the rest of the teddy's body would fall apart. As all the pieces inevitably hit the snow, he quickly influenced a terrified gulp. With the remains all over the place and with time quickly running out, the dog was left with only one other option.

"I… I…" He fell flat on his back. "Oh who am I kiddin'...?" he sniffled. "It's hopeless!" He covered his eyes before he would inevitably begin his crying. "Aftuh all I've done ta work dis out!" His whines got more audible as he kept running the waterworks. "And now... I'll nevuh git' ta make amends!"

Poor Charles was hurt. That bear was his only ticket out of the mess he got himself into. Now that it's completely in ruins, it's like he's trapped inside a box with no key to unlock it. For the next few minutes, his actions repeated themselves. There wasn't anything else he could do aside from that.

* * *

Inside of his doghouse now, Charles was still in a state of sadness. His fur was all uneven, looking like the aftermath of a flea invasion. Despite being a quiet blubbering mess now, he mumbled some words to himself. He beat himself up verbally, wondering what he could've done to prevent such a tragedy to take place in the family household. _"I was a complete goner at dis point. I had no bear, and I had no chance of patchin_ ' _up what I've done."_ he narrated. _"I wasn't born to be a monster ta dis child, but life sure is paintin' me as one. I ain't ask fer somethin' this cruel ta happen ta us! Dis_ was supposed _ta be a jolly holiday. One dat we ain't gonna_ fugget _about fer a long time! I just dunno why or what da heck had ta happen ta escalate ta dis."_

Curled up into a ball, Charles muttered, "I dunno what ta do now… Why couldn't I have done dat…—sniff—I shoulda did dis..."

Hours later, Charles tried to sleep his trouble away. He thought maybe a simple rest would at least soothe his problems down at least a bit. His humble state of mind was somehow at a restful state after all the chaos he went through on j oyful Christmas eve. For a while, it was working for him, thankfully. Maybe his little mishap wouldn't be that much of a deal to him and the rest of the family anyway.

The dog had envisioned himself in a dream, one where he would kept hearing ringing voices and reiterating lines he basically kicked himself with. The same words he uttered earlier would literally come back and haunt him. As it lasted like it was forever, Charles started whimpering. Voices kept swarming around his head, in hopes to get the pooch to break.

"Why did you do that..?"

"You should've done this…"

"Doggie bad!"

"I can't believe you've done that…"

"You could've did that..."

"Bad dog!"

Each sentence reminded them of some of the siblings. It was more of a nightmare to him if anything. Charles' dream almost felt too home. His paws flailed, trying to run away from his problem. But, no matter where he went, his problem would inevitably catch up with him. Huge cotton remains of the destroyed teddy bear fell in front of him, couple feet away as it caused a yelp out of him. The frightened hound had to switch up his avenue at a quick pace. Turning around, another piece of the bear fell and blocked his way. Sprinting to his right, the same output fell into place. Before he got a chance to move, another ball of remains ate him whole.

A moment later, the dog popped back up on top. All he could hear now was the voice of the siblings lashing out. The dog shook strenuously, whining in complete fear. The first instance that came to his mind, he was singled out. The sounds grew much louder after each passing second. Covering his ears and closing his eyes, he curled back into a ball again. It almost felt like a fate that was worse than anything else he could've imagined. More tears began to stream down his face, before sounds of tracking snow ensued in his head, growing louder overtime.

The second he felt somet hing come in contact with his head, he let out a sorrow-filled howl. Waking up for the chaos he considered a living nightmare, he twisted and turned rapidly. Unknowingly, he awakened on a Christmas day, with just a full hour to go before present time. His vision locked tightly on his feline friend, Cliff, who just wanted to try and calm the poor pooch down. "Hey, are… are ya cryin'?" he said, Geo and Walt soon followed.

Charles sniffled. "Wh-what's it to ya?"

"Oh no," Geo sadly uttered. "I've never seen you this upset." His paws were on his hips, now showing mindedness. "And that's not the way to be on a wondrous holiday!"

Walt just had to give his comment. "You look like you hadn't slept in days."

Charles nervously rolled his eyes. "Gee, thanks bird. Dat meant a lot."

"No seriously, what's got ya so down?" Cliff asked.

The dog troubled himself uttering the only problem he had. "I… I'm a mess. I tried everything I could ta fix tings up fer dat peppy little kid," he pointed towards the remains. "And now look what happened."

Everyone just stared at the teddy bear, observing all the scattered cotton and pieces. Unbiased looks shifted down to melancholy. They felt a tiny bit remorseful for him. "I didn't intend fer dis result, I had hopes dat I can pull dis off. Blame my bad luck, or maybe it's all just a dumb coincidence." They had a realization on how much this objective meant to him, He may be just a dog, the leader of the pack of his pals who can solve anything in the blink of an eye, but maybe, just maybe for once, that role could be given to someone else just for a few minutes. "Whatevuh happened just painted me as a monster, 'n dey'll nevuh see me any different. I feel like I'm losin' sight of who da heck I am…— sniff—I doan deserve anythin' fer what I've done."

With one more whine, his pals exchanged some glances. Cliff shifted back to Charles and pet him on the head. "Y'know dawg, I might not know what yer sayin' sometimes, but what I know is… tings happen. And sometimes… it ain't yer fault."

"Yeah, it's not your fault!" Geo added.

"Uh, I don't know about that." Walt honestly responded. Given two glares from Geo and Cliff, the bird changed his answer fast. "You're not to blame." He concluded with an eye roll.

A lightbulb hatched over the feline's head. Ideas sparked inside. "If yer willin' ta hear me out on dis fer a little while, dawg, den I may have an idea!"

With all eyes on Cliff, the hamster asked, "You do?"

"Huh?" Charles added.

Walt raised an eyebrow. "Well, what is it?"

"We doan have much t ime so we gotta do dis quick." Cliff gathered everyone close together and uttered his plan in a low volume. Everyone was curious and nervous if it'll work. The dog on one hand was desperate for any help. He should be lucky that he had his friends take the time to give him the comfort he needed, to which he was. Cliff finished spilling his plan and threw his paw in. "Alright, paws 'n wings in!"

Geo placed his paw in and Walt threw his wing in. Now, all that was left, was the leader of the pets himself. Being a nervous wreck he's in, he obviously hesitated for a moment. With everyone looking at Charles, he uttered, "Y-ya sure... dis is gonna work out?"

"Trust me dawg…" Cliff responded, giving a wink. And with that, Charles slowly offered his paw with the rest of his pals.

* * *

Inside the house, the kids opened their presents as the parents stood and watched. Everyone seemed to be pleased with what they've gotten for the holidays. Satisfied chatter was thrown all around, eventually leading to them thanking their peers. "The only ting I had ta do at dis point, was a surprise." Charles narrated confidently. "I hafta hand it to da cat, honestly. He might be such a snark ta me, but I had no idear he can come up with such an amazin' backup plan after a mess of mine fell flat outta nowhere. Now, all ya gotta do, is just sit back, 'n watch what happened."

"This is beautiful!" Lola reacted.

Lori caressed her christmas gift. "These lounge pants are just my style!"

"I really love the coloring on this tricked out guitar dudes!" Luna reacted.

Lucy gave off a smile. "It's about time, my book of rituals get a wondrous upgrade. I've been waiting to try out that one levitating trick for a little while though."

Lynn Sr. sighed. "Isn't this wonderful? Our kids having the time of their lives on a good day such as this?

Rita gave off a half-hearted smile. "Well, almost wonderful."

"What do you mean, Honey?"

She looked down and thought for a bit. When her sights turned to the merry baby of the family surrounded by a couple presents, bopping her hands on the unwrapped paper, she uttered, "Well… I don't know if I told you this, when I should have last night…"

"Hey Lily!" Luan said. "Aren't you gonna open your present?"

When Lily looked back at her gift, the rest of the family calmly cheered her on, including Cliff, Geo, and Walt. She would hesitate for a bit, since she could easily feel a bit of pressure just for doing a simple task. She rubbed her hands together before she could grab onto the strip of her respected bow. Just then, after just a tug, the top popped up, revealing Charles dressed as a fuzzy polar bear, complete with buttons and even a tie to accent. The baby gasped, before the rest of the family reacted the same way.

"Surprise!" he barked. "Merry Christmas, kid!"

Everybody just froze. Nobody saw this coming at all. His intent worked out without even a flaw. But, what he really wanted, was her happiness again, and it'll depend on how Lily would react in the next couple of seconds.

She giggled and clapped her hands. "Teddy!" She got glomped and licked on by the jolly pup. The rest of the siblings reacted in awe and heartfelt laughter. Cliff's work was done. With a confident smile, he received high fives from the bird and the hamster of the bunch.

"Okay, now it's wonderful." Rita reacted with a smile. "It's so nice of Charles to do this for our little Lily."

"Honestly, I had no idea the darn dog could be capable of doing any of that." Lynn Sr. admitted.

"You literally have to hand it to Lana." Lori said to her dad.

Lincoln agreed. "Yeah, the girl knows her animals."

"Aw, stop you guys!" Lana uttered, dismissively waved a hand.

"Yeesh." Lynn muttered.

Lily gave Charles a hug. "Teddy!" The happy driven hound couldn't help but hug her back and snuggle at her face. Lana and Lincoln walked over to him and pet the canine on his head. There was only one thing left for him to do now. Glancing over to Cliff, Geo, and Walt now, he received a thumbs up and a wink from him, before he winked at him back.

Charles sighed. _"Well, I guess dat's da_ story _of da kid's first_ Christmas _, as far as I can_ remembuh _. I'm real surprised_ dat _everythin_ ' _managed ta work itself out in da end. I've_ nevuh _been so happy ta lift a kid's spirit before in my life. Although, I'm definitely ain't gonna git used ta dis fur, it was still worth it to give dat baby a smile. Besides, makin' a gift dat we animals came up wit' on our own, and puttin'_ some _thought into dem? Ain't dat one of da true meanings of dis holiday?"_

"AAAAHHH!" Leni screamed, running downstairs with one of her damaged dresses. "You guys! What happened to one of my beautiful dresses?!"

Everyone paid their attention over to Charles. He had no idea why they were looking at him like that, but it wasn't going to be pretty. "Aroo?" he uttered.

* * *

"Hoo, boy. Some story dat was, ain't it?" Charles asked the reader. A beat took place before the dog responded with, "Definitely! It's definitely a story I'll remember for a long time. It means a lot ta me, servin' my purpose ta bein' a good pal ta dese kids, 'n bondin' wit' em at every chance we get. I love 'em wit' all my heart. But den again, what dog don't do da same?"

The pooch turned to his calendar on his right side and whipped out a marker. "Hope ya don't mind me doin dis fer a sec." He crossed out the remaining seven days he had left. Just then, some fireworks popped off in the background. The dog turned to the reader and gave off an awkward chuckle.

"Doggy!" a voice spat.

Overhearing that single word, Charles geared himself up to run. Before doing so, he spat. "We've got one more ting ta celebrate, kids. C'mon!" Sprinting outside, a marker spun in midair before falling to the ground.

Two barks in, Charles approached Lily and sat next to her, watching the show of fireworks. She giggled as she flailed her arms up and down together. Charles' tail wagged around playfully as he smiled at the sky. As a few more popped off in the night sky, Lily placed a hand around the dog's back. Charles would inevitably do the same thing.

"Doggy, doggy". Lily said, giggling.

Charles panted and licked her face once again. Looking back up into the show, fireworks popped again, this time, showing off some multicolored stars and snowflakes. When a heart-shaped firework exploded into the sky, Lily happily exclaimed only three simple words: "Happy New Year!"

* * *

 **Merry Christmas and Happy New Years everyone!**


End file.
